Red And Purple Ribbons
by fantasEteen
Summary: Bound...To Be Seperated...  After 33 years of imprisonment in the dreaded labs of ShinRa, ex-undercover reporter Sana Blackheart finds herself face-to-face with her emotional past and reminiscenses of the one she's always longed for...
1. Part 1

**Alright-My first OFFICIAL fanfic :D hooray! Hope you enjoy it and PLEASE don't forget to review it! ME WANTS THOSE REVIEWS!**

**This story stars my OC (original character) Sana Blackheart and my most favorite Final Fantasy dude-Vincent Valentine! **

**Vincent and Grimoire are property of Square Enix (so is the setting: Midgar/ Planet Gaia )**

**Yuki Valentine, Zachary (NOT the Zack Fair), and Sana were created by me :)**

**ON WITH THE STORY!**

**(oh yeah, ps-this and another fanfic is also avalible on -same username ^^ )**

**Red and Purple Ribbons-part 1**

by fantasEteen

_ characters: Sana Blackheart, Vincent Valentine, Yuki Valentine, Zachary Fair II, Grimoire Valentine_

**PROLOGUE**

"So, ya still sleeping, huh, miss?"  
"Hmm?"

I rubbed my eyes open to see a young girl in her teens facing me. She had a childish look-red schoolgirl outfit, red headband, black boots, two ponytails fastened with golden bands. The only thing sinister about her-a large, black gun-holder hanging from her bejewled belt.

And something that entirely shocked me way more than her gun-she had RED eyes...

_Those eyes-I'd know them ANYWHERE..._

Was she...Could she be...?

She must've seen the startled look on my face, for she rolled her eyes and continued blabbing.

"Yeah, it's my style. Do YOU have a problem with it?" She pouted and then turned her head away, glancing once to see my reaction, and then giggling.

"Just humoring ya!"

I smiled, then tried to get up-only to be met with a sharp pain in my ribs.

"Unh!"

"Whoa! Take it easy! You were lying on the road all unconcious and bleeding-we found you while driving to my house-I was like 'wat the heck a woman lying on the road?' and my bestie was like 'lets take her home-' "

An adolecent male's voice interrupted her "Yuki-don't talk THAT much."

The door opened and in walked a lean young man about the girl's age. He had sparkling blue eyes, fair skin, and brownish-black hair that was spiked this way and that. He held a huge mug of steaming liquid in front of me. I gladly-no-GREATFULLY accepted it and began sipping it.

The boy sat down in a chair facing the bed I was seated in. He observed me for a moment before cheerfully putting in "Hmm-you seem hungry. You fine now?"

I nodded, and then continued sipping.

"Right..SO, anyways, I think she explained to you how you were found-"  
"I WAS GETTING TO THE END WHEN YOU CUT IN!"  
"Yeah, but according to what I was hearing DOWN THE HALL, you had explained enough for her to understand-"  
"ZACK-"  
"How many times will I tell you its ZACHARY-my dad's..name...was Zack-"

There was a long pause before the boy named Zachary piped up.

"I guess you've got it figured out already-I'm Zachary and she-"

I interrupted him. "Yes. You're Zachary and she's Yuki. I was found while you were driving her to her house-unconscious on the road all bleeding and stuff-yup, I got it figured out, all right..."

He nodded, looking down. There was more silence. Yuki walked over and stood behind Zachary, placing her arms around his neck and lightly kissing the top of his head.

Zachary smiled, then ruffled her hair.

"I hope she didn't bother you too much-"  
"Oh common! She just woke up! I didn't say much-right m'am?"  
"YUKI! You're doing it again!"  
"WHAAAaaaa?"

I chuckled at their arguement-they reminded me of a time when I, too, had such petty, small quarrels with someone.

Someone that really mattered...  
Someone, who'd made a promise...before he went away...

**CHAPTER ONE-Age 17**

It was raining lightly outside. The light, dewy raindrops pelted my silver hoodie.

"No matter what, I HAVE to reach his house! I'm already too late!"  
"Okay honey, but don't catch a cold!"  
"'Kay Mom!"  
"And please, take your-"

But before I could listen to the rest, I'd ran off.  
Now, I regret to have never taken my umbrella.

_GAH! I smell so DAMP-like wet dogs! What'll Vince think when I walk into his mansion like THIS?_

By the time I've reached his front step, it was raining like all of the Mississippi River was poured into the clouds and then wrenched back out. I was drenched from head-to-toe; the hoodie didn't help much, since it's just a fashion hoodie that was only as long as my upper torso.

I rang the bell about a billion times and waited for someone to answer the door. Five minutes later, the door opened. Out walked Dr. Grimoire Valentine- ShinRa's greatest and most affluential scientist.

He looked at me and then grinned. "Welcome dear! Vincent was waiting for quite a while now!"

Then he scratched his beard, mostly speaking to himself "I wonder what he's up to..he didn't really tell me much..."

"Er-yeah-Dr. Valentine. I was kinda caught up in something..."  
"Oho! I undertand! No worries-though I'm afraid Vincent was growing quite impatient, so he-!"  
"OH NO! I BETTER GET TO HIS ROOM-oh, by the way, where are you going Dr. Valentine?"

Grimoire breathed in deeply before replying

"Ahhh, today is the first day I shall begin the research and studies of the OMEGA and CHAOS theories. Though I'll be coming home now and then, after a few weeks I'll be so caught up I'll be staying at ShinRa most of the time-"

"Oh! Well, wish you luck, Dr. Valentine!"

"Heheh, thanks! Bye dear!"

With that, I shut the door behind me and rushed up the long staircase to Vincent's room.

His door was ajar, so I began to push it open-only to be met by a sudden sight-

Vincent was standing in front of a long mirror-_naked!_

...Well, not really. I stood silently behind the door, watching him.

A maroon towel was wrapped loosely around his lean, slightly-abbed waist. His hair was dripping wet and he was towel-drying himself with a seperate towel.

After using it, he tossed the towel aside and shook his medium-length, jet-black, layered hair with his hands, smoothing it back with his palms.

Then, he picked up a can of cologne and, shutting his deep red eyes, he sprayed himself all over. I examined his body, muscular but not too burly; still glittering all over with small drops of water.

_What the hell am I doing?_ I thought, _I didn't come all the way here just to ogle at my friend!_

So, once again, I began to open the door when he suddenly stopped spraying himself. I froze in my place-he placed the cologne back on the table. And then, after a long, silent pause, he turned and began swiftly walking towards the door-right where I was standing!

_OHSHIT! I FORGOT HE HAS SPIDEY SENSE!_

I began to back away-but, too late to hide myself-Vincent swung the door open-a peeved expression on his face.

I giggled nervously, my face erupting into a huge, shameful and apologetic grin.

Vincent placed both hand on his hips. "Hm. Where were you? And why are you standing out here?"

"Eh..." I pointed at the towel still wrapped around him.

He looked down and exclaimed, his eyes widening. And then, grabbing me by the wrist, he dragged me into the room and plopped me onto his bed.

Taking the extra towel, he draped that around his shoulders, then turned to face me.

"L-look! I don't know WHERE THE HELL you were at this whole morning, or WHY THE HELL you was just standing out there OGLING me while I'd come out to dress-"

"DUDE! YOU left the door like, about, HALF OPEN! And I WAS NOT ogling you! It was stupid of you to leave it half-open like that! Anyways, I was busy the whole mornin-"

"SANA! You could've called up and told me you'd be late! And why-WHY didn't you just TELL me the door was open? What if you saw more than you needed to?"

I felt my face redden at that thought, and then looked down.

"I-look-I'm sorry Vince..."

He shook his head. "It's fine. Though, you missed the whole audition I did-"

"Oooh! How'd it go-"

"LATER! Lemme go put on some clothes-before you get any WRONG ideas and try something on me-"

I threw the shirt and pants he'd picked out at him, and was about to throw a pillow when he quickly retrieved to his personal bathroom, slamming the door behind him.

"DUDE! What do you think I am? A RAPE ARTIST?"

A muffled reply came from his bathroom "I HOPE NOT!"

"Grrr-VIIINCEEEENT!"

"Haha! Just kidding, Sana!"

I punched the bed once, seething with annoyance from Vincent's remarks. But after a few moments, I found myself smiling, his teasing already forgiven.

The bathroom door finally opened. Vincent walked out wearing a black t-shirt and jeans. He ran his hands through his hair one more time before taking a seat next to me.

"Alright, so tell me now-where were you?"

"Ehh, MOM kept me busy with chores. Rather than an undercover reporter for Midgar Live, its more like I'm getting educated for being a house maid." I stuck out my tongue at the thought, then quickly asked "Sooo, how'd it go?"

He did a crooked smile, and then replied

"It was exciting-the judges were doing a stand-up obation by the time I finished the last measure."

"Well, that's great!" I stood on the bed, jumping with joy for his accomplishment.

"IMAGINE! Vincent Valentine-the awsumest, ass-jacking musician who plays BOTH the violin and guitar the best in ALL of Gaia! His poster hanging in EVERY single tween chick's bedroom! " I did a final spin and then fell on my back.

I turned to see his expression. He had a distant look in his crimson eyes; his smile began to falter.

I sat back up and put my hands on his shoulders. "Hey-whoa what's wrong Vince?"

He scoffed softly, then looked into my eyes-a strong gesture that was too unbearable to handle.

"I did this audition without telling Father, and you know how he feels about my future job..."

I thought for a minute, then remembered the past arguement Vincent had with Dr. Valentine...

_"I DON'T WANT MY SON TO BECOME SOME REJECTED GUITAR PLAYER OF SOME LOW-CLASS BAND!"_

"BUT FATHER, YOU KNOW IT'S MORE THAN JUST THAT-"

"I WANT YOU TO BECOME A SCIENTIST-YOU'LL BE MORE RICHER AND ACKNOWLEDGED LIKE ME-"

"THAT'S NOT WHAT I WANT-"

"YOU ARE GOING TO WORK FOR SHINRA AND THAT'S FINAL, VINCENT!"

The arguement was quite fiery-I'd never seen more furious than he was that night.

Nor Vincent-the rage he showed towards his father was visible in his eyes-they seemed to burn and light up with anger...

"Father will never agree-he won't let the album release-"

"OH Vincent! Don't be so negative! Everything'll go fine-Im sure!"

I hugged him loosely, then pulled him up.

"Now, to celebrate your sucess-" I clicked my tongue and snapped both fingers at him. "YOU'LL have to treat me to sommo that newly-arrived CherryZest Midgar Electrik Slurpee!"

He scoffed. "Why do I have to buy all the expensive stuff all the time?"

"Duh, because on our happy circle, YOU are the only that's FIIILLLTHAAAYY RICH! Now, lets go get Genesis and the others-"

"BUT-"

"NOPE! IM NOT GONNA LISTEN-LALALALALLAAAAAAAAA-"

"Oh fine! Though you better get only ONE serving-I didn't recieve enough pocket money-Father went against it."

I rolled my eyes. "Whatever-now lets go abduct some Electrik Slurpee!"

I grabbed his arm and then dragged him out of the house.

_"Whoa Sana! SLOW down!"  
"NOPE! I wanna Slurpee and I want it NOW Mr. Filthy-Rich Valentine!"  
"Heheh..Your wish is my command then, Ms. Slurpee-Obsessed Blackheart."  
"You know, that was kinda-er-lame, Vince-"  
"Meh...Whatever..."_


	2. Part 2

**Red And Purple Ribbons-Part 2**

by ~fantasEteen

**CHAPTER TWO**

Voices...  
No,  
Just one voice...  
It whispered  
For me  
To awaken

And to wake up from my slumber...

-  
_Hey...HEEEYYY...laaadyyyy..._

"Hm?" I woke up with a start-only to find Yuki's face in view again.  
"You fell asleep quite fast, girl! Heard some noise coming from your room and discovered you talking in you sleep. Anyways, what WERE you dreaming about? You were mumbling quite a lot of junk about 'Electric Slurpees' and 'auditions'-"

A dull pain began to throb at the back of my brain, but I tried not to let it show.

"OH! It's nothing...Nothing..at all..."

Yuki studied my face for a moment. I was unable to meet her strong gaze-oh how it resembled HIS-

_So intense  
So piercing..._

"Is-is there something you should be telling us? You don't look right-"

The sharp migraine was increasing. Her questions and concern was beginning to aggravate me.  
"Believe me when I say I'm fine. Now leave me alone!" I snapped at her.

"Whoa! Okay, okay I'll leave now-I was just asking because I thought I can help you...I..I'll just, come later.."

She took one last uncertain look at me, and then exited the room.

Relieved that she was finally gone, I probed the nightstand for an ice pack.

I managed to find one, so I pressed it against the back of my head and shut my eyes.

Though what happened after that was even worse than the migraine-

The minute I shut my eyes the eons I'd spent locked inside ShinRa flew before my eyes-

Labcoats.  
Tapping shoes.  
Failed experiments.  
The greedy eyes and the lust to tear apart anyone helpless enough.  
The cell.

Lies about HIM being dead.

The flash of his silver-rimmed, round lenses;  
the evil grin;

Injections stabbed all over;  
clothes getting torn off of my body;  
cackling;

the coldness of steel floor against my skin;  
flesh ripping apart-

An eeire voice began shouting somewhere far off-its haunted wailing chilled me to the soul

_Noooo...please don't-DON'T touch me!...Stop-please...you said he's alive...stop lying-he's alive!_

HE'S ALIVE! HE'S ALIVE! HE-IS-ALiiiiiiii-

Someone slapped me on the cheek. The after-burn pulled me out of that nightmare.

My head rolled to the side. I felt my breath come out heavily and deeply-tears were running down my sweat-drenched face-turns out it was I who was shouting...

"M'AM! M'AM! WAKE UP! Are you okay?"

I opened my eyes again and saw Zachary's tense face. He was shaking me crazily. Yuki stood behind him, a deep fright visible in her dreaded red eyes...

I beckoned for him to stop, then took a glass of water and drained it down. I noticed that the migrainic pains had slowly reduced to nothingness during my lapse, and I didn't feel any pain whatsoever in the rest of my body.

"Er-Miss-" Zachary began.

"It's Sana."

"Right-SANA-are you OKAY?"

"Im fine-I-"

Yuki broke in before I can conclude. "She's been saying that for the past three hours now, Zachary! The whole time, she's been suffering like she's possessed or something! DO ASK HER-"

I tried to reassure them that I'm in perfect condition. "I swear-I'm FINE now. Officially. I don't feel any pain at all-" I stopped and then turned to Zachary.

"Did you use any materia on me before-"

"Yeah. I found some ultra-heal materia and pressed it into you before I slapped you awake-"

"Thanks, it's all I needed." I got up and headed for the door.

But before I could exit the room, Zachary stopped me.

"Where are you going Sana?"

"Look I really appreciate your help and all...But I cannot remain a burden no longer...especially not on you two..."

Yuki frowned, then she snapped to me, refusing my decision to leave.

"You can't go!"

Zachary started "Yuki-"

I wasn't prepared for her to react like how she did just then.

"OH SHUT UP ZACHARY!" Her short body was shaking with sobs now. I stood to the side, silently digesting the scene.

She looked up at last, her teeth clenched. "Everyone-EVERYONE keeps on leaving me-first my mother, like, as soon as my little sister was born-then my father left me-then my older brother, who I KNOW is still alive but I'm unable to find...and-and NOW-" Yuki did a deep breath intake, composing herself "Now its you-I was beginning to like your company-considering the fact that the last time I've met you was 30 years ago-"

With that I glanced up-my eyes were wide open.

_has she figured it out?-_

She took a deep breath and began "My full name is Yukinaro Valentine-the first younger sister of Vincent Valentine. I GREW UP seeing you visit our house each day-" she gestured at me as she spoke "Though you have longer, darker hair now-though your eyes are neon-ish rather than the brown they used to be-though you're pale and taller-its hard to forget you Sana."

I was silent-speechless...Until what I was thinking suddenly slipped out of my mouth.

"I know...You're HIS sister.."

Yuki turned to me sharply. "You remembered all along?"

I nodded. "I-I just kept silent...I couldn't bear it-your eyes-your face-it reminds me of HIM... ALOT..."

She looked really confused. "You mean Brother..But why do you feel upset about that?"

I didn't bother replying.  
Instead, I turned and began heading for the door again.

"You CAN'T just turn and LEAVE like that Sana! COME BACK HERE!" Yuki shouted at my back.

I ignored her-I couldn't let out the reason-

The reason why the very mention of HIM pains me so-

The reason why every time I see Yuki or anything else that reminds me of him, I feel the burden of a thousand guilts apon me-

Before I could step out of the door, a tight hand suddenly grabbed me by the shoulders and thrusted me against the wall.

I struggled against the strong grip-

_though at the same time, I was trying to hold back the power building up within me...afraid to harm someone I didn't need to..._

"NNGH-Who-?"

"Don't leave, Sana." The lilting, smooth, masculine voice spoke softly into my ear.

I gasped-recognizing the person behind that voice-

**CHAPTER THREE**

"GENESIS?"

He loosened his grip, allowing me to turn around and face him.

Genesis looked like how he always had-the same auburn, chin-length hair, the same steely, gray-green eyes-it was like he'd never grown any older within 30 years of seperation.

He raised an eyebrow, his face still void of expression.

"Missed me Sana?"

"Genesis-but how are you-"

"Im 'Project G'. Ever heard of the secrect files about "G" during your 33 years imprisonment at ShinRA? I am the person behind those files-"

"So you're-"

"Yes-Im the failed experiment ShinRa tried on me-" he did dramatic gestures, a heavy sarcasm weighing down his words.

"The most powerful SOLDIER of the crew-the one with abilities no other SOLDIER has ever acquired before-AND-" He paused, then looked down at the floor "I'm...a failure..."

Yuki looked like she would've hugged Genesis-her eyes huge and glassy. Zachary's face was flat-out shocked. And as for I, I was trying hard to hold back tears. I knew, that somehow, I am also the cause of his grief.

"Genesis.."  
"Heh. What, you're actually feeling for me now?...all of a sudden? After, all these years?" He jeered.

His eyes were cold and were like ice picks as he glanced at me.

"I had to stay within exile, for a few of Deepground Soldiers and ShinRa scientists who survived Vincent's recent 'Omega-cide' want to find and use me to recreate Omega-"

"I encountered them today." I said, recalling my recent escape from ShinRa.

Zachary looked up. "What? So that means-"

I nodded. "Yes. Im an escapee."

Yuki wiped away at new angry tears. "I HATE ShinRa! How can-HOW CAN they be doing this to us all? HOW?" She slammed her fist on the wall, leaving behind a huge indentation.

"I was re-created after ShinRa found me hiding in the basement-they took me to the lab and...HECK I WAS ONLY 14 at the time!"

Zachary added in, his body quivering with rage. "My mother, Aerith Gainsborough gave birth to me secretly the night before she went to that dreaded church- I was handed over to ShinRa by mom before she died. The request mother made was to keep me happy and to treat me like a son-instead, I was fused with some special materia...and then trained to be a SOLDIER..though this time it wasn't easy like it was for Father-they were preparing to send me to Deepground...to be a DS...I finally escaped through this passage that an innmate showed me."

Genesis let out a bitter laugh. "We are all such scientific failures, no?" He swished his red coat backwards and strutted to the middle of the room.

"And our enemies-the rebel Deepground ShinRa-they're failures too. Though the only difference-they think they're the top of the world by being such failures. While we-" He turned to meet my sight yet again. "we think we're...abonimations. Freaks. And of course...failures..."

My view became blurry-I blinked my eyes shut so that those unnecissary tears wouldn't come out.

Genesis let out a careless sigh. "Anyways, guys, I've heard theres more rebel DEEPGROUND out in southern Kalm. I suggest we get prepared as they might come here-to Northern Kalm. Oh yeah" He gestured to me "YOU, I suggest, should stay with us. After examining you, I think you need more time to control whatever's inside you. You can battle alongside us when you're feeling better."

With that, he turned on his heel and walked out my room, followed by a reluctant Zachary who, before walking off, stopped by the doorway to speak to us girls.

"Well, you girls can use this room. Me and Genesis will be in the room next door."

Yuki, already in a happy mood, piped up cheerfully. "We'll be fine, Zachary! I'll take care of her! Goodnight!"

Zachary smiled warmly at her, then said goodnight back to her. He walked to his room, closing the door behind him.

Yuki plopped on my bed, then turned to me cheerily, grinning widely.

"I'm glad you've decided to stay, Sana! We've got UH LOT to catch up on!"

"Hm..riiight..."

She got up, twirling her ribbon, then walked to the bathroom.

"Im gonna put on some pjs-I can't stay dressed in leather drag all day, now can I?"

I nodded, staying where I was.

"OH! Wait-you get up too-"

"Wait-Yuki-"

She walked over and pulled me up, then examined me.

"Hmmm...Yes, you'll do..." She walked over to her closet, opened it, and then pulled out a pajama set-black cotton tanktop and purple/red polka-dotted micromini cotton shorts.

"You need some pajamas, girl! Since those clothes are the only ones you have-which, by the way, STINK in both ways-you can borrow mine!"

"Er-NO-"

"OH COMMON-you'll fit PERFECTLY in em!"

But what if I rip any of your clothing during a battle?"

She rolled her eyes "PFFT-I've plenty. NOW-you go change in the bathroom-I'll change out here."

She shoved me into the bathroom and then locked the door from the outside.

"Im NOT letting you out till you're done in there!"

I sighed, then began peeling off my ShinRa rags...

After all, I never thought I'd ever be wearing these type of clothes again  
Nor would I be FORCED to do so, by a 16 YEAR OLD (well, she's not exactly 16 but whatever..)

...

Moments later, I was out of the bathroom, wearing the tanktop and shorts.

Yuki, who was wearing a red and black laced mini-dress, squealed with joy the minute she saw me.

"You look SOO puuurty! I suggest we share clothing until we get the chance to buy you your own!"

She plopped onto her own bed and then beckoned me to get into mine. I lied down, turning off the lamplight.

"SOOO Sana" she began, her face serious in the moonlight-for once..._imagine a female copy of HIS face..._

"How have you been, at ShinRa?"

"...fine."

"Did-did-What did they do to you?"

"Heh. Stupid question-they caught me spying on them doing their deeds-then became the brunt of their deeds myself."

"I don't need to know more to know what you're talking about-"

I snidely interrupted her "Yeah...Unless you know what its like to get your virginity forced away-DO you, Yuki?"

I heard her bed creak slightly. "What?"

"It was Professor Hojo." I met her gaze-her poor, innocent face reflected mortification.

"Every night...He came...In front of the others the excuse was to inject me with something-which he did after he had his fun...pretty soon...I was in a state at which I'm unable to concieve. NEVER EVER AGAIN...in my life-"

"STOP! Just-stop! I don't want to hear no more...How can you just talk about it so casually? Like it was nothing-"

"Because it was 33 years ago. An old person forgets their days of youth with time. Similarly, I forget-or try to forget-all he's done on me..."

There was a silence, before Yuki began again.

"What was he trying to create out of you?"

I hesitated to reply-I myself didn't really remember why I was being experimented on.

YUki gave a huff, and then babbled on-changing the topic.

"I'd noticed-you and Genesis-how he was glaring at you the whole time-er-what is-WAS- going on between you two?"

"Do you really want to know?" Something seemed to sqeeze my heart. The old guilt came back to haunt me-thankfully it was dark in the room, otherwise, she'd see the pained look on my face as it was forming.

But she persisted. "Hell yah I wanna know-" Her bed creaked again-she seemed to be sitting up. "Is Gennie-Boy-like-your old enemy or-"

"He was my friend..Though he misunderstood our friendship for something...you know...more.."

I heard her smack her head. "Oh jeez-I hate those types of guys-"

"NO! You're misunderstanding-he was a really sweet, poetic young man...Its just he thought that I was the one...It was hard for him knowing that I...loved someone else..."

"oooOOOOH! LUUUUV TRIANGLE! TELL ME MORE!"

I laughed at her childish excitement-she was like another me from a LOONG time ago.

"Nah...I don't want to reminiscence about old times...Go to sleep."

"BUT-"

I turned on my side and became silent. She scoffed, then settled back into her bed.

Within minutes, she was breathing deeply-as asleep as a log.

Though as for me-sleep was just to hard to get. I'd had half of 33 years of unconiousness within a gigantic test tube...

**CHAPTER FOUR-AGE 18-SENIOR YEAR MIDGAR HIGH**

I ran up to the already long line of girls auditioning for the part of Juliet-practically being the last one. Girls were practicing their parts to their best ability before they faced judgement by the drama teacher and Vincent, who'd gotten the part as the stage director.

I smiled at how quickly he'd gotten the part-heck, it can't be hard for the son of an affluential scientist to get whatever he wishes for.

Though it is rumored that in order to get this part, he had to agree to being Romeo's backup...Not that whoever's playing Romeo would be missing or sick on the day of the play...

A tiny, hopeful voice meddled in my mind: _But what IF-just what IF Romeo got sick? And what IF I actually get the part as Juliet?..._

My heart quickened at that thought-Vincent and I together-onstage...

Yeah, he's my best friend. We're close friends. But...

I..don't exactly know what happens to me...  
If he's happy, then Im happy  
When he's upset, I cry  
Whenever I look into those mysterious, crimson eyes, I drown into their depths, never wanting to come out again.

I love how his lips curve around his teeth whenever he smiles...  
I love that feeling I get whenever he performs live with his band in the night-how his deep, baratone voice and rapid guitar riffing makes the music sound more beautiful and intricate...

Do I have a crush on Vincent...?  
No..even at this age of deceitful feelings, I can tell...  
This is more than just a short-term infatuation...

I held the script closer to my beating heart, his smiling face filling my imaginations...

"HELOO, SANA?"  
"HUH-What-?"

Someone shook me awake. I turned to find Genesis-his face bright and excited.

"Heh, took you a while."  
"Oh-GEN! You're auditioning too?"

He smiled sheepishly, then ruffled the back of his head. "Er...yeah...Im auditioning for Romeo..."

"Oh...Im going for Juliet..."

He looked up, his peridot eyes sparkling with delight. "Uhmm..Really...?"

"...Yeah..."

Genesis put a hand on my shoulder, then he chuckled. "Well..er..GOOD LUCK!"

I smiled back. "Yeah! Same to you!"

He turned and quickly jogged to the Romeo line, tripping on his laces. I giggled at his clumsiness. He looked up and blushed, then quickly retrived himself.

I shook my head-oh that clumsy Genesis! Then, I pulled out the script and began practicing the line we were given to present to the judge-and Vincent..

After a while of waiting in line and nonstop rehersing, I finally reached the inside of the auditioning room.

Taking a reluctant step inside, I smiled nervously at the two judges before me.

Behind the desk sat the drama teacher-proffesional and strict-looking-and Vincent.  
The minute he saw me walk in, his eyes widened and he stifled a giggle. I rolled my eyes at him and then prepared myself.

The drama teacher tapped her high-heeled pumps imaptiently. "Alright, begin."

Vincent gave me an encouraging thumbs up. I nodded my head and began.

Several moments passed as I kept on performing over and over again. The drama teacher leaned forward in interest, her loud tapping stopped. Vincent, too, seemed to have gotten caught up with my performance for he now looked at me with great interest-a gesture that empowered me to go on.

Finally, the drama teacher stood up. I choked on the last word and went silent. She walked alowly up to me, the taptaptap of her heels resonating across the auditioning room. Vincent, too, got up, an alarmed look on his face.

He quickly glanced at me and then tried to convince the drama teacher. "Er, Ms. Esponage-uhm-WOW that was a great performace, don't you think! This role is DEFINETLY for Sana-don't you agree?"

"MMMhhhmmm...yes.." she circled me like a predator encountering its prey-I chewed on my lip and tried to look confident.

Ms. Esponage finally stood still, then gave an outburst I wasn't quite expecting.

"CONGRATS my dear! You were just-MWAH-perfect-IMMACULATE like the snows in Quebec! YOU GET THE ROLE OF JULIET!"

And, without any warning, she gave me a squishy hug, and then handed me a packet.

"Here's some info and script lines for our next meeting-DON'T MISS IT!"  
"Umm..Thanks, Ms. Esponage.."

With that, she picked up her stuff and walked out of the auditorium. "I have to go see how the selection of Romeo is going. AU REVOIR DEAR!"

The door shut behind her hard, startling both Vincent and I.

Vincent slowly turned to me, and then gleefully exclaimed "Sana Blackheart-YOU ARE SWEEET!"

"Oh Vincent!" I ran up and gave him a huge hug. "This really wouldn't be possible without you! You convinced her so well-I thought I was mince!"

"No Sana, its your hard work that payed out-you really held my attention there." He wiggled out of my grasp and then smiled down to me.

"Well, I wonder who's gonna be your Romeo...You must be quite curious too...Especially since he and you'll be KISSING in the play..." He waggled his eyebrows teasingly.  
"UHHGH VINCENT!" I swung at him with the packet. Vincent-having a strange spidey-sense- dodged that easily, his smirk becoming wider.

"Vincent! OKAY that's enough now! Yes, Im curious..." Then, I stopped, the smile slipping off my face.

Of course..Someone ELSE was to be Romeo...  
_..Not...HIM..._

"Sana? What happened?"  
"...Vincent...What if they DON'T find the perfect Romeo for the play?"

He, too, stopped smiling. "What?"

"Well...What'll happen if they don't find the perfect Romeo?"

"...Then Im forced to be Romeo..." The way he stressed 'forced' made that tight feeling come back in my heart.

"How'd you feel if you saw me kissing some random Romeo up there?"  
"Sana-?...How am I SUPPOSED to feel?"

_a pin dug deep within the surface of the bubble-fragile and filled with false, baseless dreams_

"Why...Why didn't YOU just become Romeo?"

He looked extremely confused, unable to understand what I was trying to say.

"Sana-look-WHY do you want me to be your Romeo?"

I went silent for a few moments, controlling the chaotic storm of emotions within me, then finally managing to utter "..I'd feel more comfortable..."

He fell silent. I kept my head bowed, turning away from him so he won't see my face-burning with anguish.

I finally heard him take a step towards me. My heart began to beat on the base of false hope-

_-had he finally understood?-_

Vincent spoke at last, his voice thick and hoarse "Sana..Don't you think the kissing scenes would be...too awkward?"

Whatever hope was beginning to blossom died-

_the pin, gilded, poisonous, and dangerously beautiful, swiftly made its move-slipping out of the fragile skin of the bubble-which bursted, as it was meant to be..._

My voice faltered while I replied. "OH-I-I didn't really think of that.." I couldn't turn my face to him now-angry tears threatened to spill out from my eyes.

"And plus, we're only best friends, right? The whole school's already thinking we're some sort of...item...or something. I don't really want people to misunderstand us, Sana. You yourself said once, in 6th grade, Sana, that its a false statement that girls and guys can never be best friends-you wanted to prove to the world that a guy and girl CAN be best friends-I don't want to ruin that Sana." then he added "Besides, I'd suck at doing Romeo-my skills are in music-NOT drama-"

"Mmmhmm." In the dark, I wiped at a stray tear-

To my dismay, there was no point in hiding that-he already figured that I was crying.

"Sana-WHOA! NO-I didn't mean to make you cry!" He quickly ran up and faced me towards him.

"Sana, Why are you crying? Did I say something wrong?"

I tried to tell him the whole truth-but instead, I hastily wiped away the other tears and tried to look fine.

"No-its just-happy tears-"

Vincent slapped his head. "HHHhhh! Females! You really scared me there!"

I stepped away from him and then breathed in deep. "I-I just suddenly thought of that time when we were little..Our first play...together."

He rolled his eyes. "Ohh..the one from 1st grade when we did a Cinderella class play! Where we both-UNLUCKILY-got the starring roles-causing the WHOLE entire class to think we had something going on-"

"Yeah...but remember when you said your lines? You acted so perfectly-you were so cute back then-"

"Pfft that line's easy to say-" he did a dramatic pose and held his arm out high "Cinderella-oh Cinderella-I've found you at last! blablabla-Now kiss me, biatch!"

His weak sense of humor caused me to giggle. He looked out the corner of his eye and then returned back to normal.

"Eheheh SEE? That's all it took to make you happy again!" He pulled both my cheeks "Don't let those late-teens hormones get on you!"

"Vincent-YOU-you're so-" I gave him another hug, and surprisingly, he hugged me back for the first time.

"Anything, to make my best friend feel better."

I smiled-though he didn't feel the same way back towards me-I felt happy. Content with our friendship-The only reason I didn't confess to him was so I wouldn't ruin this thing we have

This beautiful, unbreakable friendship.

Though still, I'll never be able to recover from that heartbreak

I've realized by now that for me, friendship is just an excuse-

I really, truly loved him.

_I..Love...VINCENT..._

The door suddenly opened. Vincent quickly pulled away.

In stepped Genesis, his peridot green eyes brighter than ever. "SANA! I've got news!"

I stepped forward-preparing for the best(worst) news.

"I got the part as Romeo!"

The minute it crashed apon me, I didn't know how to feel-rejoiced, happy, upset, or dramatically angered-

All I felt, was _emptiness._

The smile remained plastered apon my lips, though on the inside, disappointment rung out yet again...


	3. Part 3

**PART THREE...**

CHAPTER 5- NIGHT OF THE PLAY...SOME WEEKS LATER..

It was the last night we were holding our play-the time to act our final part in the play-where Juliet kisses her Romeo before she kills herself.

It felt wonderful to act, to let lose all those emotions and break through the tightness that enveloped my heart whenever I thought of what I wished the most...

The kisses I did with Genesis were fake-we just moved close enough and barely touched our lips together-though Genesis, last time, had 'slipped up' and put more force than needed..

Infact, what I've been seeing in his eyes as he looks to me frightens me...I hope he doesn't begin to think what I think he does...For all he'll be getting in return, is a NO...

My heart is already for someone else, and will remain so until I die...

I pulled at the drawstrings at the back of my tight, synthetic dress, trying to get it to close.

Exasperated after the zillionth try, I gave up and called for Amy, the costume designer, to come and help.

I waited for a while, worried that I might get late, until moments later, I heard someone step into the room, assuming it was Amy.

"Amy! Oh good, you're finally here! What took you so long!" When she didn't reply, I let out a huff and then gestured at her to come over.

"Forget all that! You design really complicated stuff here-can you just tie all this, please?"

I heard her step forward and then waited.

Then, surprisingly, she caressed my back before she slowly drew the back of my dress up to a close.

Utterly disgusted, I stood up and turned-only to be surprised by seeing who was standing behind me all along-

"Genesis-?"

He smiled shyly "I couldn't help but come over and do it-Amy is busy with someone else at the moment-"

He paused, his green eyes lingering over me. "You look so beautiful..by the way..."

My breath caught, the sad panging emotion rung though my heart once more..

How I LONGED to hear Vincent say those words...

Though it was clear by now...That he just doesn't feel the same...

Suddenly, to my shock, Genesis began leaning forward, causing me to back up to my dresser.

"G-Genesis?"

"Shhh..."

And then, without warning, he placed his lips apon mine, kissing them passionately.

I gave no response-

I stayed rooted at where he'd cornered me-

I didn't even try to stop him-

I was silently screaming on the inside, forcing myself to make some movement

iWAIT-this is NOT what you want-

But if you fight him off, you know he'll walk off the play-

NO! I cannot betray him-or my heart's true desire-/i

I didn't want to give him the impression that I accepted him, nor did I want to give him any false hope, so I began to struggle-finally managing to push him away.

"GENESIS! WHAT the HELL do you think you're DOING?"

Genesis looked stunned-he was breathing heavily.

"Sana...?"

"DON'T 'SANA' ME-"

"I LOVE you, Sana-I WANT you-" He dashed forward and tightened his hands on my shoulders.

"LET me GO-Genesis, You've got the wrong impression-I DON'T feel the same-"

"WHAT do you feel then, Sana?"

"I-I LOVE SOMEONE ELSE-"

"Whoever you 'feel' for apparently doesn't feel the same! Don't love the person you love-love the person that loves YOU-"

"This is NOT love, Gen! Whatever you feel isn't love-"

"BUT IT IS! I've loved you since we've first met-when we were in 4th grade-"

"Genesis, don't waste your time, your love on me! I DON'T love you, nor am I worthy enough-"

"You ARE worthy! But not worthy to VINCENT-"

My eyes widened as his words began to rub salt on the wounds apon my heart.

"Heh, what? Heard the truth and now you're silent? The truth is always bitter, Sana. Vincent DOESN'T love you-and you've GOT to accept that-"

My hands shook as I tried to surpress them from hitting him.

"You're NOTHING in front of his eyes Sana..Nothing except a mere 'friend'...He'd NEVER love you..Nor does he deserve a girl like you.."

With that, he traced his fingertips down my neck-I cringed as he loved them lower still, trying more than ever to break away, only to be tightened even more in his grasp.

"Vincent, is nothing but an unfeeling bastard...If he'd loved you, he'd make the first move on you, as I did just now...And perhaps, he would've done more, as I plan to do-"

"Genesis! That is NOT what love is about-you're just feeling LUST for me-"

"Don't taint my love with words as such, fair maiden.." he pushed a loose sleeve off my shoulder, his lips tracing the base of my neck.

"NO-"

He made a disgruntled noise, then pulled away abruptedly, causing the sleeve to rip under his hand.

"GODDAMNIT SANA! WHAT'S SO SPECIAL ABOUT THAT RICH, SPOILED SON OF A FUCKIN' BITCH?"

"He DOES know how I feel, he UNDERSTANDS me even though he doesn't love me back-unlike an UNFEELING SICK BASTARD like YOU!"

"IM not the unfeeling bastard, your VINCENT is-I bet he is so sick, so FILTHY RICH that he uses his money to-" he suddenly began to laugh histerically

"I get it-why you 'LOVE' him-you love his MONEY, right? You're like all those other girls out there who'd go after the rich ones, screw around with them, and come back each night for MORE, right? Is THAT what happens between you and Vinny-boy each night-"

I glared at him "Genesis..HOW-?"

"He must be SO GOOD, since not only does he have the cash, but he also has the moves-"

"GENESIS RHAPHSODOS!" I slapped at his cheek hard, causing him to stagger back.

Hot tears streamed down my cheek as I shook with heaving sobs. I fell to the floor and pressed a hand to my forehead, trying to contain myself. Genesis wiped at the blood coming out of the corner of his mouth, his eyes flashing furiously as he stared at me seethingly.

At the moment, the door opened abruptedly. In walked Vincent, an anxious tone in his voice as he began "Sana, Genesis-What are you two DOING here? It's time for the final part-" He stopped as he glanced at me.

"Sana?" Vincent dropped his clipboard and raced towards me, who was collapsed on the ground, messed up and unkempt.

My sobbing became more intense as he pulled me up, deep concern and shock expressed in his eyes. "How-What happened?"

Instead of answering, I reached out and clutched the front of his shirt, pulling myself towards him and pressing my face into his chest as I cried harder.

Vincent, instead of hugging me, placed a hand on my head and stroked it-a gesture that was more comforting than a hug would've been.

"Who made you like this..?" He immediatly turned to Genesis, his eyes sharp and impending as he questioned him.

"Did you do this to her? ANSWER ME GEN-"

"Its none of YOUR business as to what I did to her..All I know-" Genesis headed for the door, then turned and harshly finished his sentence before leaving. "All I know, is that im NOT doing this play any more...Find someone else."

"WHAT-"

Genesis slammed the door shut, leaving Vincent and me standing in the pin-drop silent room

"NO! How CAN he-where'd that boy GO?" Ms. Espionage pulled at her poofy hair as she paced the room furiously.

Amy murmered glumly "No one knows-the only one who knows what happened in there is Sana, but she's not ready to speak up."

"Then MAKE her! The final part is due to happen within a few moments-"

"Don't worry, Ms. Espionage-Vincent is in there with her. I guess..he'll make her speak up.."

Vincent walked me over to a chair and made me sit in it. I did so, wiping away the mascara-stained tears.

He sat next to me and remained silent for a while, giving me enough time to settle down before disclosing whatever happened to him.

"Now, tell me Sana, why are you crying? What did Genesis do?"

At first, I was about to speak the whole truth to him-about how he mocked my feelings that I felt for Vincent-but then paused, reconsidering what I was about to say.

Vincent noticed my hesitation. He put a comforting hand on my shoulder, then made me face him. I kept my gaze lowered, not wanting him to see what part of the truth I was going to hide-

"Sana? You can tell me...Did he try anything on you?"

I nodded my head "..He forcibly kissed..,me...". His palm tightened on my shoulder, causing me to wince-I didn't even need to look in his eyes to know how much rage was beginning to fill in them..

"What-did he say anything?"

I took a deep breath before telling him "H-he-he said he loves me..."

Vincent released me, looking slightly confused. "So..What's wrong with that..?"

"I don't love him back...and I know its not love he feels...it was just.."

"Intention?"

"...yes.."

"...You're hiding something..Sana..He did say something more.."

"..He said that..both of us..every night.." words failed me, so I turned away and shut my eyes.

Vincent also fell silent, but I heard him as he began rapidly stomping out of the room. I looked up to see him as he turned to me-

Vincent's fists were clenched, his jaw set eyes seemed to glow eerily as his anger grew.

Then he silently murmered, half to me and half to himself.

"When I find that bastard, Im NOT going to spare him...I swear on you, Sana.." And with that, he opened the door-only to be stopped by Ms. Espionage.

"Vincent dahling! Glad you're here! Did Sana tell you everything?"

"Genesis-he-"

"NEVER mind! Tell he everythign later on. Now," She turned to me and took a long glance before nodding in approval.

"Hmm, for a scene like this, it'll do-and YOU Vincent-You go get dressed as Romeo. Amy shall give you a wig or something so you can look like Genesis on stage-"

Vincent looked up, surprised with her sudden decision.

"Wait-ME, as ROMEO-?"

"Don't you remember the deal, sonny? In order to be the Stage Director, you had to agree to being a backup Romeo, which you did-"

"But-"

"GET READY! FINAL SCENE IN 5 MINUTES-CHOP CHOP!"

And so, after making her statement, she turned on her heel and quickly strutted out of the room. Vincent looked up to me in shock, while I, once again unable to meet his eyes, looked away.

"...Sana? How are we gonna...?"

The scene involved a final kiss-a kiss from Juliet to her Romeo before she slays herself-

a scene (and several others) that Vincent would never do with me

Because in his eyes, I am his friend...and nothing else..

I smiled weakly to him, and tried to come up with an excuse.

"...I'll try to fake it..Like how Genesis and I have been doing in the past. And plus," Getting up, I walked towards him and finally managed to peer into his eyes, to lock his gaze into mine.

"No one will be able to tell its you-Amy will do your makeover and stuff so that you look like Genesis. You won't be needing eye contacts either, especially since your eyes will be closed the whole time."

Hearing this, he seemed more comfortable now, then let out a low chuckle.

"What?"

"You're full of ideas, all of them in which to make ME feel alright as I go on stage with you and we..."

He blushed slightly, then added "What about you? Will you feel okay, especially since we'll be close together?"

My cheeks reddened as I thought of how one of my heart's desires will finally, in a way, will become true..

I'll be getting really close to Vincent, even though all of it will only be acting..

I'll be able to kiss his lips, even though it'll be a fake..

My heart fluttered at the idea of kissing him.

"Sana?"

"Hmm? Oh, go get ready then! You've got ALOT to get done in 5 minutes!"

He slightly smiled, but then headed for the door once more, only stopping long enough to say one more thing

"I was about to ask you something else...Maybe next time, 'kay?"

I blushed hard, glad that I was turned away from him, then walked to the dresser and began fixing my braid...

After a while, me and Vincent were onstage. Vincent looked convincingly like Genesis. Amy made him wear a ginger/rust colored wig and powered his face so his complexion was as peachy as Genesis's.

Before the curtains were pulled back, Vincent laid in the middle of the stage, playing a dead, sad, and heartbroken Romeo, his hands clasped around a fake vial of poison.

On cue, I quickly walked on stage and held Romeo's figure, placing him my lap.

After a while, the moment had come.

The moment of THE KISS...

"_" I stated dramatically, convincing the audience enough to trigger a few sobs. I pulled the vial out of Romeo's(Vincent's) hand and tipped it back, then acting diappointed, I spoke the next line.

"_-"

iAt last,/i I though, iLONG AT LAST.../i

I let out a convincing sob as I tipped my head towards Romeo's, being as slow as possible so that the moment can last..

I shut my eyes, and I saw in my mind's eye-

I was actually Juliet, mouring over my Romeo

Vincent, who lied still and silent on the floor, his lips slightly ajar

So welcoming, so enticing...

I trailed my fingertips to the side of his head, a teardrop trailing down my cheek as i let myself lie next to his body, leaning over him, and placed my hand once agian on his cheek.

There was no audience, no one to see us..

It truly was happening

Only one move, and we were one..

I leaned in closer and at last, my lips came in contact with his, silent and unmoving.

I kissed his lips gently as to not arouse him, and continued on, pouring all my passion, all my love into that one kiss...

And then Amy made a silent noise in the backstage, causign me to arouse from my dream.

iOh..no.../i I realised with shock, as I pulled away, that I'd gone too far...

iWhat must be Vincent thinking? I'd promised that../i

The muscles in Vincent's face felt taut, reflecting the shock he must've felt after experienceing my carelessness.

iThe show MUST go on, though.

Finish up, Sana, finish this final scene and deal with it later../i

Remembering what I was supposed to say next, I pulled away and sadly put in "_". Spotting the fake dagger, I drew back the blade and plunged in into my busom where my heart should be, then collapsed on Romeo as I let out a final breath.

Our part was finally over.

The rest of the play went by quickly; our funeral took place, the Montagues and Captulets came to a truce made too late, and then, Amy drew the curtains.

We stood up and bowed to the audience I took a quick glance to Vincent, who stood silently next to me, not meeting my eyes. His jaws were set again-a bad sign.

After recieving the plaudits, we walked backstage to change.

I opened the door to my assigned dressing room and prepared myself for the worst as I heard Vincent follow me in.

He bolted the door shut and then walked up to me, stopping just a distance away. I didn't turn, for I could see him well enough in the mirror facing me.

Vincent's face was stoic-blank, and white as a sheet of paper. I gulped and waited for him to say something.

After moments of dreaded silence, he finally came up and stood directly behind me. I immedietly looked down to my palms.

He cleared his throat, then let out a hoarse "...Why?"

I chewed my lip, too ashamed to look up at him.

"I..got too carried away in my acting-"

"Too carried away, that you..kissed me?"

"I forgot where I was, and, well..yes, I..kissed you..."

He sighed, then sat next to me, and was about to say something before I got irritated and snapped at him.

"It's not like anyone recognized you-they ALL thought youwere Genesis. HECK, even Ms. Espionage announced it onstage that you're Genesis! Though I slipped up, EVERYONE thought, and believed it was fake, no? And why," I turned to him at last so I can give him the impression that I was angry,

"WHY are you so friggin SCARED? Its not like you kissed a BOY-"

"Well I got kissed by my BEST FRIEND, who was kissing me like I was really her Romeo or something-"

"So what's wrong with THAT? We've hugged, we've hung out together since, like, we were small. You aren't thinking that I did it on PURPOSE, are you?"

Vincent fell silent, thinking of something else to say. "Well, no, but-"

"But WHAT? You don't TRUST me? I did it for THE PLAY, stupid! So what if I accidently kissed you like that, it was PURELY PROFFESIONAL-"

"PROFFESIONAL? You-you were-you promised-"

"BE A MAN, VINCENT! Get OVER it! A girl just kissed you, it should be no big deal for dudes your age! Other guys kiss about twenty girls each day, and probably screw them too! And then later on, they just FOGET ABOUT IT! Why don't you forget it too?"

He huffed impatiently, then face-palmed himself. After a while, he looked up and gave me a defeated smile.

"HHHhhh, I give up. Fine, I trust you, Sana...Whatever you did WAS on accident, right?"

iWell, actually, half of me wanted to do it but I knew I couldn't, so somehow I zoned out and kissed you-/i I shook my head at that explanation and simply said "Yes, it WAS an accident."

I ruffled his hair and smiled. "Chillax, Vince. I would never try to ruin our friendship."

He nodded, then suddenly got up. "Ahh well, anyways, Ms. Espionage announced a party tomorrow. It'll be held at my house, after graduation from high school...Nothing formal, though don't wear anything too raver-like either-"

"I'll be there, I'll be there..And don't worry, I won't even put on too much makeup either, sheesh.."

"I was just saying, especially since you're always made up with all that pop-rock stuff and..chained belts..and that new piercing you have-where is it?"

I giggled "I'll wear my piercings tomorrow, don't worry, you'll get to see em." With that, I began to walk out of the room, before Vincent stopped me.

"Sana-"

"Hmm?"

"..You act really good..for real...And I do admit you're quite the-er-kisser.." A smile played apon his lips, but he tried to hide it.

I laughed out loud. "Well well, is THAT supposed to be a compliment? Coming from Mr. Silent-Valentine himself?"

"No-really-you'd keep a man happy with those lips-GAHH!" He gave up and quickly pushed past me, though not quick enough for me to take a glimpse at his reddening face, his lips pulled tight together.

By the time he was gone, I was giggling nonstop, until after a while, I'd calmed down.

"Ohh Vincent, if you only knew...Who I REALLY want to keep happy with these lips.." I said to the warm air around me. I felt lightened up by Vincent's attempt at a compliment (?), a little ticklish on the inside with the cute way he tried to keep it pure-sounding and sincere.

I gathered my things and walked out, only to be met with my parents.

"Hey Mom, Dad!"

"Oh honey!" Mom hugged me tightly, her face glowing with pride.

"Great job up there, hon! You really shined tonight! Heck, you even made ME cry!"

"Oh mom." Then I turned to Dad, waiting for his compliment.

"You did great-I'm Proud of you..Though, the final scene.."

I chewed my lip "DAAAD...IT was FAKE-like all those other scenes-"

Just then, Ms. Espionage walked in. "Your daughter did splendid-even in the end when she had to work with the substitute Romeo-"

With that, my dad became alert "Substitute-You mean Genesis is-"

"Missing, yes. He walked out in the end. We've contacted everyone, but he's nowhere to be found. Not even at his house. His parents are quite worried..But you better agree with me when I say that the substitute dod great-"

"WHO was the substitute?"

"Vincent..It was Vincent, Dad." I said to him.

He had a questioning look in his eyes. "Vincent, eh?"

My mom shook her head. "Oh jeez, be light on her! So what if it was Vincent? She was with her best friend in the end, so she probably felt more at ease while acting, no? It's not like they have something going on!"

My dad processed this, then finally, he was convinced. "Fine. I was just kinda...suspicious, especially after how you were-er-fake-kissing him..It looked too real-"

"Yeah, well, that's what FAKE kisses are for, Mr, Blackheart! Now, off with y'all and good night!"

Leave it to Ms. Espionage to come to the rescue.

We all said our goodbyes and walked out. I spotted Vincent, who was leaning against his new black BMW. He waved to me.

I looked up at my dad. "Can I ride with him?"

Dad made a face, then finally nodded. "Fine. You can stay the night at his house too, but don't do anything..you know what I mean.."

"DAAD, we're JUST FRIENDS!"

I ran towards Vincent's car and jumped in as soon as I saw my parents driving and turning the corner.

"Niice car, rich boy. Got it yesterday?"

"Heh..from my earnings.."

"Did you hear? Genesis is missing!"

He seemed to infuriate at the mention of his name, but then toned down his anger.

"Yeah..that bastard went in hiding...Though I didn't forget my swear, Sana..."

I looked at him in admiration, surprised that he'd hold on to something like that.

"No..You don't need to, whatever happened, has happened...Let Genesis go wherever he can..I just don't care anymore, Vincent."

I tried to find somethign to change the topic with, suddenly thinking of Vincent's boy band.

"OH yeah! I completely forgot! Hoe's your band doing? Everyone's talking about your band here, but the girls are ALL OVER YOU!" I giggled, then stopped, seeing that distant look in his eyes.

And I immediatly knew.

"...Your band..is there something wrong, Vincent?"

"We're breaking up. Two of the others want to continue on their own. One of them just don't want to continue. Genesis is obviously missing. As for me," he turned to look at me "It's off to Turk School for me.."

"You mean your dad-"

"Last night...He was furious, and insisted that either I break away and forget about my musical career for ever, or he sends me away for good..to an academy where I'll train to be a ShinRa Turk..."

I felt scared by this sudden news of separation. "What the-? No-HE CAN'T!"

"But he will, Sana.."

"I'll convince Dr. Valentine-"

"It's too late Sana."

And with that, he started the engine and sped down the road towards his mansion, the grim look never leaving his face.

As for I, my heart was ablaze. I silently anguished in the inside.

I couldn't bear it-we'll not be seeing each other for, like, FOREVER...

A PARTY, A GRADUATION, AND A WEEK LATER...

It was raining outside. Dr. Valentine and Vincent stood right outside the airport where they were about to depart.

I was wearing my gray half-hoodie again, my hood pulled low enough to cover my pained-looking eyes.

Dr. Valentine prattled on about how this was Vincent's fault and he really didn't mean for it to be this way, but he had to do it if he wanted his son to have a better future.

"I just cannot see him drowning in a pool of scandals, drugs, and crime, after all, that is what the band/music industry is all about. I want him to be successful, and he'll only get that by getting this job-he'll be well-paid, right Vincent?"

Vincent glanced at me, frowning deeply.

I spoke up and moved towards him. "I guess...we can talk during your breaks, right?"

"...Yep...I think phones are allowed.."

"You do have a vacation or two, right? So we WILL be seeing each other-"

"I'll miss you, Sana."

I was taken aback with his statement, it touched my heart so, that I actually walked up and hugged him tightly. As usual (other than the two exceptions from the past), he didn't hug me back, nor did he respond in any way.

"I'll miss you too, Vince..." I kept the hoodie lower still to hide the tears beading up in my eyes, though Vincent, with his spidey-sense and all, wiped them silently, then, putting both hands on my cheeks, he forced me to look into his eyes.

"Hey, it's not like im going there to die or anything...I'll give you a call as soon as I reach there, okay?"

I nodded, then hugged him once more before it was time for him to leave.

"I WILL be seeing you everyday though."

"Huh?"

"ON TV..You'll be a certified Midgar Live host by the time I'm a certified member of the Turks, right?"

I smiled at that, and then waved as he walked off with his father, who was impatiently waiting by the terminal doorway.

Vincent looked once more at me, unsmiling, but his eyes expressing it all-

The sadness

The fondness of his friendship, the loyalty of sticking together no matter what shining through their crimson depths...

The promise, of never forgetting our bond-

To him, the bond of friendship-

-and to me, my bond of utmost love...


	4. Part 4

**CHAPTER 6-PRESENT-DAY, A FEW WEEKS AND A MISSION LATER, **

**SOMEWHERE IN THE OUTSKIRTS OF NIBELHEIM...**

The cell phone rang out through the gray midnight fog; its shrill bleep sent chills up my spine.

Though I'd fully recovered after a few weeks, and is a bit more powered up to fight alongside with the others, I still felt quite jumpy-not from fright nerves or anything-just the instinct, the feeling to react to every single sound in the night drilled within my mind 33 years before I'd escaped...

Kinda like how a returning solider would react if he'd hear even the scuttling of mice in the walls.

I pulled the phone out of its compartment-strapped to the side of my leg along with my retractable blade/sword.

It was Genesis-I'd known before even glancing at the screen

"The mission is complete-all rebel Deepground are almost-"

I detected a rebel behind me-he staggered up once more with a sword, preparing to swing at me.

Though before he had his chance, I flipped in the air and aimed a kick at my attacker-

got him right in his balls.

He fell back, knocked out dead, his hands still clutching the spot.

I pulled the hood back over my head; I sensed a heavy ozone concentrating the air surrounding me.

"...Thank goodness for spike-heeled boots.."

"Wha-?"

"Its nothing, Gen. Now, where was I?"

"You were-"

"Oh yes-I've cleansed the outskirts properly-I am to get to the middle of the city as soon as possible, correct?"

There was a long pause-a sigh-before Genesis went totally silent.

"What's wrong?"

"...I know its too late..But-"

"Get to the point-I have to finish off these rebels in the center of Nibelheim before dawn, right?"

"...I'm sorry..."

I stopped walking, astonished by his sudden apology.

"..Excuse me?"

"You heard me right Sana...I'm sorry for what I've done to you in the past...and for not giving you a proper welcome when Yuki and Zachary discovered you."

I listened on, for in a small corner of my heart, the emotions were once again breaking through the surface-

Sadness, Affection, Mercy-

All that makes me weak on my knees. I began pushing them back, trying not to let it show as I replied on the phone

"Right...The past is but a hinderance, Gen. I'd rather not bring it up now. Let me hang up-"

"Please Sana, hear me out! I've realised NOW, that I'd never loved you-it was affections all based on jealousy-jealousy of how you and Vincent stayed together really often..How you two almost seemed perfect for each other while no girl ever had looked my way...How Vincent was too perfect-him being rich and all; the jewel of your eyes. When I'd discovered that you were beginning to feel for him, but he didn't feel the same, I suddenly wanted to be with you-I always thought you were alluring, but nothing more..

"The truth is, Sana, is that I never loved you-I lusted for you..But nothing else-"

"Genesis Rhaphsodos," I interrupted "Whatever you've done over 33 years ago was nothing but bullshit waiting to be flushed out. Whatever hate I'd felt for you has burned within the blaze of Hell behind the gates of ShinRa...I suggest you do the same-stop carrying around the unneccisary burden of scarring the heart of a spoiled 18 year old-"

"But Sana-"

"I'll see you at dawn."

With that, I hung up, strapping the phone back into my small compartment. I took a deep breath and looked to the raging clouds.

Thunder rolled down the hilly land surrounding Nibelheim, the clouds struck with lightning as bright as the light of the Lifestream. The first raindrop fell and came in contact with my cheek, rolling down until it dissolved into the soft, taut fabric of my hoodie.

I tipped my head back and opened my arms in welcome to the rain shower, turning around as the rain changed from falling showers to falling heavy torrents slapping against the bare skin of my waist, legs, and face. The monsoon was always my most favorite season, especially when it occured in the quiet villages of Nibelheim...This was the very place where my father used to run an office under ShinRa Manufacturing.

I wondered if that building still stood right wh9ere it was erected, 16 years before I was born...

I wondered if my family were happy in Heaven...If they'd found their eternal peace whilst I remain apon this planet as a stigma that can only bring about death and sorrow...

It was all my fault they'd died

All my fault...

If I hadn't been captured that day while I was spying on Hojo, that day when I'd recorded everything about the misdeeds of ShinRa on tape-

That day when I'd seen Hojo pulling out his gun and-

When It'd all taken place BEFORE MY EYES...

If only I was fast enough, If only I'd found another way to exit that place..

IF..ONLY...

Then my parents, my whole family wouldn't have been tracked down and massacred by those creeps...

Mercilessly KILLED...

Truth to be told, I'm the last of the Blackhearts, and no one'd realized it until Yuki discovered me once again that day as I was escaping from the Rebels...

Realizing I'd wasted mere minutes pondering over my guilt, I began running for the center, turning as I reached a shortcut.

I became suddenly aware that I wasn't alone..

**CHAPTER 7**

Something metallic flashed before my eyes

I smelled the subtle scent of materia power much stronger than mine, melded by inferior others-

_iA new line of Rebel defence, perhaps?/i_

I got my answer as my breath got knocked out of me before I could react.

I hit the stone wall hard, causing it to crack under my force.

An internal pain shot up from the pit of my stomach to my left leg. I began to get up, but more of them-like flying bats-surrounded me and began launching a number of melee at me-striking me wherever they can as the force of their attacks caused us to rise in midair. I tried hard to resist, but instead fell prey to their ambush, and remained motionless-UNTIL-

A new energy began surging through my veins like adrenaline. I felt my whole body tremble with intolerable power-

Roaring with rage, I bursted outward, green light sending rivulets of energy here and there. My pursuers fell to the ground, stunned. I could see them now-all were similar-looking Rebels with grotesquely lean, narrow builds-except they had a surge of Jenova energy pulsing through exposed veins running all over their bodies.

I landed on the top of an abandoned truck. A new life awakened in me, taking place of my frail half-human body. I spotted my reflection in the glass window of a closed shop-

My hair flew around me like an unholy halo; the irises of my eyes were eerily green like strobe lights; I had a maniacal smile that exposed my two-inch-long canines-

"Huh? What the-?"

I didn't give them a chance as I pulled out my sword. It began to emanate the same mako energy that overtook me at the moment. I jumped off the truck and made my first move-

The blade sliced through the shoulder of a minor Rebel.

"NNGH!"

"What are you waiting for? Kill her-"

The more powerful ones lashed at me with their claws, one of them managing to leave a mark on my arm. Frusturated, I plunged the blade into his abdomen and leeched apon his energy.

"Wha-AWAY WITH YOU, YOU FUCKED UP VIRUS!"

I sniggered "That's the best you got, you 'fucked up' son of a bitch-OH, that's right, you don't really care if I call you that. After all, you love showing the world what great pimps you are-"

"."

"I bet your mothers were so sick, they didn't mind it when you'd went to Hojo to get your body parts rearranged-"

He stabbed the tips of his claw into my stomach-

Though I, unaffected, plunged it deeper still and brought my sword to his neck-

"Off with your head, sonny."

I faced the others, managing to dismember and leech the energy out of the minor ones. There was one strong guy left-

Time was running out-and so was my fuel-

"Yo, keep it down will ya, woman?" an amused voice sneered at me. I turned to see a man with wild red hair wielding an electrical stick in his hand. Next to him, a bald guy with dark frames over his eyes and multiple piercings in his ear cracked his knuckles.

"Hm. Easy prey you two will be."

"Yeah yeah, sure missie. Though I would like to say that you've found the wrong party to crash."

"I believe i'm in the right place, strawberry."

That ticked him off. "WHAT did you call me?"

I smirked "A STRAWBERRY."

The redhead snarled and then, beckoning the others forward, they all charged forward to attack me.

"You asked for it WOMAN!"

"Oh for sure I did!"

The redhead swung his stick at me-which, I've realized by now, is quite a deadly tool-

I dodged easly, then faced the baldie. The baldie seemd to be the slow one, for he didn't see it coming when I flipped in the air and knocked his senses out.

Strawberry Boy's mouth was hanging wide open. He ordered the other Rebels to come at me. I sweeped them out of the way like garbage.

It was Strawberry's turn.

"Heh, so this is it, yo.."

"Yeah-UNH!" The pain was returning, its pressure so powerful I bent forward clutching my stomach.

A BIG mistake.

One of the powerful Rebel jumped out of nowhere and plunged his hand deep within my chest. Because I was changing back to normal, blood was now pouring out like a river; my flesh was once again vulnerable. The attacker dug around until he pulled out what he was looking for-

Materia.

"Guuhhh..." I collapsed on the ground, a pool of blood seeping out on the concrete.

"You..disgusting...REBELS.."

That caught the Stawberry's attention. "Rebels? Wait a minute-YOU are the Rebel, NOT us!"

I glared up at him. "NO-YOU guys are the ones trying to-ehh-re-awaken Omega and use Genesis to uproot this universe-"

"Whoa lady-you've got it mixed up-"

"DON'T put up that act on me-AH!"

I felt the full force of the wound now that I had changed back. And now that I was in my senses, I began to doubt the purpose of why Genesis had really sent me here...

"Are...are you...sure..?"

The redhead now seemed concerned. "Wait-I think you've been kept in the dark too long-RUDE! COME HERE! She's dying-we have to take her with us-"

i"RUDE!"/i

I was slowly blacking out. I saw nothing beyond whatever was in front of my face.

"I guess...I've been a fool...Once...more..."

i"...e's here!...Vin...ent...her...bleeding..."/i

Someone turned me over so that I was facing the sky. Everything in sight was in gray monotone-black and white. Minute after minute, I'd fade out to black, then back again. My whole body was numb-

I felt a presence stand right next to my body.

Opening my eyes, I saw a shiny object-was it GOLD?

They seemed to be shoes-though they were pointed and made of gold.

Another blackout-

i"...Materia.."/i

Wait-that voice-

The man with the golden shoes bent down. I was able to see more of him-if not any lesser.

The first thing I saw about him was his gauntlet-it clutched my materia. He was examining it with a hint of interest, then he turned to face me.

He had really long, glossy black layered hair-the kind that girls would die for.

His cape covered most of the lower part of his face so only his eyes were visible-

His eyes-

Were they what I think they were-?

RED EYES...

iNo..you're imagining things-

Otherwise WHY can you only see the redness of his eyes?

Why IS everything else so..gray..?/i

I retched and moved to the side, spewing bile out of my mouth.

Strawberry Boy widened his eyes.

"Oh..My...Fucking...Shit...Yo..."

"Reno, clean this materia. We have to put it back in her or she'll die."

"R-right on..Shit...Its-she PUKED-BLOOD-"

"Reno. STOP overacting. Get to it NOW-"

"OKAY! OKAY, yo!"

"V-V...Vin..cent..?"

The man with the cloak turned towards me in surprise.

His eyes questioned me-he stared longer, trying hard to recognize me...

iMaybe it's a coincidence...there are many Vincents in this world..

Though I only knew one Vincent

With eyes as red as those..

And a voice that is as barely audible as his.../i

I tried moving my hand so I can pull down that part of the cape which covered his face-

I HAD to know-

Is he for real? Is he THE SAME ONE?

Is he really ALIVE? Is that really HIM bent over me, so close to touch?

Close enough to pull down that cape which concealed his face-

"GOT IT!" Stawberry-I mean-Reno ran up with the cleansed materia. Vincent grabbed it and moved closer. His hand came in contact with my chest as he pushed the materia back into my heart. I tried hard not to react to this subtle contact he made with me-my already-faltering heart skipping a few more beats.

"Yo! Her pulse is gettin' weaker! We gotta get her in-like-NOW-"

"I heard you Reno..I heard you.."

After giving me another long glance, he picked me up with ease, his long cape curling around us as he walked through the raging, chilly winds that bit at my skin.

As the materia began bringing some of my energy back-and the color back into my vision, I looked up at his face through heavy lids, which was now more visible since I was viewing him from the side.

He hadn't changed that much-

Though he's become quite pale, thus making his eyes stand out more than ever.

His hair would've been exactly the same if he'd cut them...Though he looked quite beautiful like that...

Other than that, I was now fully convinced-

HE is Vincent...

My Vincent.

And he IS alive...

Vincent caught me gaping at him, his own eyes boring into mine. Ashamed, I looked away and took a deep breath.

"You're fine now?" He asked, his deep, velvety voice vibrating through his chest.

I nodded and spoke back, my words coming out slurred "I'm fine...You can put me down now.."

He released me; I tried standing on my feet, but suddenly a wave of dizzyness struck me. I felt more nausious than ever, clutching my head as I began staggering back down.

"Yo!-careful there woman!" Reno ran forward, but before he reached me, Vincent caught me again as I flopped over.

"Nnnggghhh..."

"Perhaps you need to rest now. Reno, we'll take her to headquarters tomorrow-I'll take her home with me-"

"But-we need to interrogate her-"

"That can happen tomorrow-"

"Fine. We'll meet here in the morning, then. Make sure she doesn't-"

"Don't worry. I can skip a night. I'll keep a watch on her."

With that, Reno and his friend-was it RUDE?-went off. Meanwhile, Vincent picked me up again and began our journey to his apartment.

"H-How far off is your place?"

"Its in Kalm, actually. Though I have another apartment around here that I barely use. We're going there for tonight."

I let out a weak laugh "Lies..utter lies...Your real home is the mansion in Midgar..A few blocks away...from my home.."

He quickly turned to me with widened eyes. "Excuse me?"

I smiled to him. "Don't recognize me yet, do you?...Mr..Filthy-Rich Valentine..?"

Vincent looked at me incredulously, his face full of a mixture of shock and wonder.

"...Sana?"

I started hysterically coughing with laughter at his reaction. He stopped in the middle of the road to allow me to finish laughing before resuming.

"...You're still alive? But how?"

"Heh..how do you THINK?" Becoming weak again, I suddenly felt sleepy...

So I fell asleep in his arms, not caring anymore on whether I'd wake up again after this..

After all, it's still uncertain as to whether the materia kept me immortal or was it simply there to give me power..

All along, it was the labs-the injections-the torturous practices of ShinRa that kept me alive.

Or half-alive, I should say..

More like half-dead...

...I'll make up my mind once I'd awaken once more...

IF I awaken...


	5. Part 5

**CHAPTER 8**

I woke up to the sound of lightning crashing in the sky, finding myself lying in a darkened room, the black curtains drawn tightly as to not let in any light-or moreover-not let anyone see what's inside.

I was still soaked wet so not much time might've passed since I'd been brought here...

"You awake?" a deep voice sounded from somewhere in the corner of the dark room.

I was startled by Vincent's voice-the room had seemed as quiet as no one was present there except for me.

He asked again "Are you awake?"

"Hm? Oh..yes...I'm...awake."

There was a long silence, then I heard him walk across the room towards me. The bed creaked under his weight as he sat on it. I moved my legs towards my abdomen so I could leave some room for him to sit on.

After another long moment, he began again.

"So-er-how's been things?"

From his hesitation, I could tell he felt awkward, and quite surprised by my sudden appearence.

"..Fine. Not much to talk about."

The darkness of the room began getting on my nerves.

iIt was dark..TOO DARK.../i

"..C-can you turn on the light for a minute..please?" I hated how my voice came out, sounding all pleading and weak.

"Eh sure, hold on a second."

He walked over and flipped the light switch. Relief flooded me, and whatever was bothering me got pushed off in a far corner in my brain.

"Thanks...I...I needed that.."

"...I understand.."

I looked up and saw in his eyes that he truly did understand...

He's probably been through a lot more than I ever faced...

A lot more pain..

I made an attempt to talk with him, though felt silly at the same time for doing so.

"Um..sit down-er-have a seat, it's your apartment."

"Oh..sure.."

Vincent sat down in a velvet armchair facing the bed I was lying in and looked at me. I couldn't help but stare more at him, unbelieving the fact that he's finally here...

I noticed that he's taken off his coat and headband, so he was only wearing his tight-ish suit-thing, all black leather and decorated with buckles shaped like crosses. Despite having such clothing, he looked as elegant as ever...

I quickly snapped to attention, then noticed that he's been staing at me too. He quirked his lips and looked away, trying to stifle a smile. I, too, felt myself blush and looked away as well.

"So...do you need a shower or anything?"

"Er..sure...It's over there, right?" I asked, pointing towards the door around the corner.

"Yeah..you need any clothes or anything?"

"Nope. I packed some stuff..its in my bag."

"..good..."

"Hm..yeah.."

I made an attempt to get up, so when I didn't fall over with dizzyness or anything, I slipped out from under the covers and slowly stepped away from the bed.

And then, I noticed all that blood.

The blood wasn't from the minor wounds I'd gotten today-nor from where that dude had dug out my materia-the materia had already taken care of them-

It was THAT wound.

The wound that'll never heal...

I clutched the numb, still-bleeding spot on my lower-abdomen, trying not to let any more blood ooze out. It tricked still, down my legs on the carpeting.

Vincent looked shocked, then quickly got up and held me by the shoulders.

"Sana-what is THIS-?"

"IT'S..it's nothing..really..sorry for ruining your bedsheets.."

iWe CANNOT let her have this child! She needs a barren womb so that the experiments could be complete!

But sir-This could prove fatal to our progress-

I DON'T GIVE A DAMN!

Don't-NO!-my baby!-AHHHH!/i

I breathed in deeply, pushing the thoughts of the past behind me, and moved away from Vincent so I could go get my bag.

Vincent persisted on, his usually-incomprehensible voice having a hint of concern to it. "...Sana..you're bleeding too much-"

"Vincent...It'll heal..Besides, it's not recent or anything so it's not hurting me."

"...I'll clean it..you-just..go ahead.."

I didn't reply. Instead, I walked on to the bathroom door, locking it behind me.

**CHAPTER 9**

I stood in front of the mirror and stared at my reflection-something I haven't done since I was getting ready for my final broadcast I'd ever have...

I was a mess; my unnaturally raven-black hair was hanging down in limps, the ends coated with mud and other substances; my clothes already had many clothes and rips in them-Yuki would be so mad when-or IF- she'll see me again.

I had many scars and bruises-a countless number of them. THey trailed all across my waist and chest. The bruises and scars I'd get now and then would heal quickly but the ones I'd gotten during Hojo's...surgeries...would never fade away.

They were a constant reminder of my failure...Always there to taunt me, show me how I fell weak in the hands of someone as filthy and as lowly as Professor Hojo...

Because of him, I can't feel anything in the area on my lower abdomen...my uterus...

I rubbed that spot as I thought, wincing slightly as the numbness caused a prickly pain to travel down my stomach; the bloodflow never stops...Probably never will.

Though I cannot blame everything on him...

All this is the result of what I couldn't do

Who I failed to save from his downfall..

i..I was RIGHT there..RIGHT in front of him...And yet I myself became prey...And brought him down with me.../i

I slowly peeled off my bloody, rancid clothes and placed them in the sink so I could wash them after the shower. Thankfully, Yuki was kind enough to lend more clothes.

Stepping into the shower, I turned the knob all the way to cold and stood there, letting the icy water wash down my scarred, broken body, washing away all the stains.

Washing out the pains..just for while I was there...


	6. Part 6

**CHAPTER 10**

_**-Phone Calls...After Vincent's Departure to the Turks Training Academy**_

5 Months Later..

Sana: i(texting)/i hey vince!

Vincent: sana! howz it been?

Sana: Xellnt! passed the formal tests. on my way to the next level already!

Vincent: gr8

Sana: bout u?

Vincent: training kinda hard...no cell phones (im sneaking mine rite now)...tight suits...they dont want us to even smile!

Sana: D: ugh

Vincent: i can nly make 1 call every month

Sana: thts terribl... & dr. val? didja call him?

Vincent:...i ddnt call him..dnt need 2, dnt want 2

Sana: Vincent. he's ur dad

Vincent: gtg. skillz training next

iend of texting/i

2 Years...

Sana: (ianswers call/i) "Hello?"

Vincent: "Heeeyy. Its been a while."

Sana: "Heh, considering the fact that you stopped answering my texts-"

Vincent: "They found me using the cell phone and took it away, only to give me a newer model this year for professional use."

Sana: "Calling an old friend isn't proffesional then, oh forgetful one-"

Vincent: "I'm calling my friend after TWO WHOLE YEARS. It's more important than anything to check whether you've been hurt by my neglectance. You're more worth it than a stupid Turk regulation."

Sana: "Hehe..Right...So, how'd you remember me after all these years?"

Vincent: "No reason...just suddenly thought of you when they gave me the phone. I'd been on several assignments. They're testing me to see if I am qualified enough to be a 1st class Turk."

Sana: "Niiice! I bet you kick ass when it comes to melee...You had that weird spidey sense thing since you were, literally, born."

Vincent: "Mmmmhmm...It's not that bad as I used to think."

Sana: "Sooo...have you tuned in lately?"

Vincent: "Huhh?"

Sana: "iscoff/i Oh COMMON! Midgar Live!"

Vincent: "Ahh..Yep. You make a good undercover reporter...The way you exposed that embezzler last week was phenominal!"

Sana: "...Heh..thanks."

Vincent: "...You've grown quite a bit...You look more mature now..."

Sana: "'Mature?' Hah! You're making it sound like I never hit puberty when we last saw each other-"

Vincent: "I meant your-ah-physique..You look very lovely...Even your voice-its womanly.."

Sana: "D'AAWW...You're trying to make me feel good? Let me tell you now-its working-like-REALLY effectively-"

Vincent: "isniggering/iI meant to say that your voice used to be so high pitched and girly-you sound a little more like how a lady should-"

Sana: "VIIINCENNT-"

Vincent: " (XD) Just kidding!"

Sana: "(D=) And I thought your sense of humor was terrible back then! Looks like Turk School has affected you quite a bit!"

Vincent: "Okay, okay! Im sorry."

Sana: "..ieyeroll/i Fiiine..you're forgiven-"

Vincent: "I shall only bow down this once-next time, you'll feel the true wrath of a ShinRa Turk!"

Sana: "Really? Bring it on-I'll expose you and your Turk Squad's missions on LIVE TV!"

Vincent: "And I'm gonna order an encounter to be done apon you-"

Sana: "FINE!"

Vincent: (:/) "Fine."

Sana: (D=) "Wait-I'm sorry-Vince, I gotta tell you something-"

Vincent: "I have to go now."(hangs up)

Sana: "...isigh/i..I'm such an idiot..." :`(

3 Years...

Sana: (calling)

Vincent: "...Hello?"

Sana: "Hey..It's me again...after..3 years..."

Vincent: ", of course..."

Sana: "What?"

Vincent: "Nothing. So...how's things?"

Sana: "Job is going good. You've seen me on Tv, haven't you-?"

Vincent: "We don't watch your news channel anymore..nor any others. It's prohibited. They're all after ShinRa and its so-called 'secrets'."

Sana: "I see..How are you?"

Vincent: "Terrific...I'm now 1st Class..."

Sana: "Thats nice."

Vincent: "...I killed someone yesterday.."

Sana: "KILLED?"

Vincent: "Missions for the 1st Class are different than a trainee's...He was threatening to overtake the ShinRa Corporation..Mr. ShinRa ordered for his assasination and since I'm best at shooting..I was chosen."

Sana: "..."

Vincent: "Can I trust you not to tell anyone? You ARE an exposer, after all.."

Sana: "..You can trust me..."

Vincent: "Good..so I'll see you later then.. I'll be having my first holiday pretty soon."

Sana: "That's great..Vincent, I-"

Vincent: (hangs up)

Sana: "...need to say...something..."


	7. Part 7

**CHAPTER 11-THE BEGINNING OF HER DOWNFALL...**

**2 years later...**

I felt terrible-

Beyond terrible-

How must Vincent be?

Is this true-?

I ran all the way to the reporting room, trying to keep my tears back and my face as stoic as possible.

Almost breaking the door open, I spotted Lia-the camera girl-and called out to her.

"LIA! COME HERE!"

She looked away from whoever she was talking to and widened her eyes the minute she saw me.

"Sana! OH, it's horrible! Whatever rumor you must've heard is true-"

I collapsed into a chair "No...And Vincent?"

She gulped, and then went on to reply "He's..devestated. Just saw him this morning...I cannot believe..his father left us..just like that..."

I covered my face with my hands, shocked with the news-

Dr. Grimoire Valentine is dead-

"Sana? Hey-SANA-"

"Yes..? Lia...?"

"The boss...he wants you to cover the story tonight..since you're good behind the camera..."

I looked up at her, failing to conceal the tears any longer. "But..I need to be with Vincent right now..you know Lia-"

She gave an exasperated huff, and muttered so that no one else would hear

"That ASSHOLE-he's only doing this so we'd be the first channel to cover this story. NO ONE else has even gotten this news yet-he didn't even listen when I requested him for your leave as you asked me earlier-"

"He-he'd originally came here for this holiday the Turks gave him..after all these years he's returning home...and now..."

Lia squeezed my shoulders, her eyes reflecting pity. "I understand...But no one can compete with the boss..once he wants a story out, he'll stop at nothing to make it big-blow it up. He wants to make it look like Grimoire was murdered for some filthy reason so our channel would get TRPs...I cannot BELIEVE that bastard-"

"D-DO you know the real story?"

"Well, he was working with someone in the lab-they didn't say who they were-and that person messed up their experiment, causing its contents to explode and maim Dr. Valentine, who'd pushed the other one away from the falling toxins."

I squeezed my temples, then got some tissues and wiped my face.

"Lia"

"Hmm?"

"I want you to call Vincent and tell him that I'll be there after tonight's broadcast-"

She looked to me in shock "You're-YOU'RE actually gonna do it?"

I glanced at her with determination "I WILL report the news-but NOT as the boss wants it."

She nodded, sqeezing my shoulder once more before going over to the phone. "I'll call Vince and tell him. You-meanwhile-get yourself cleaned up and ready to report some REAL news."

So with that, I strutted into the reporting room, confidently taking a seat behind the camera.

'The Boss' came in and handed me the script, a gleam in his eye.

"Here's what you have to say-you'd BETTER say them accordingly, or you'll lose your job."

I glared back into his eyes, determines to say something smart back at him, but instead, I took the stack of papers and tossed them aside.

'The Boss' raised his eyesbrows increduluosly at me.

"I'm sorry-but I'm not prepared to say immoral things about someone as honourable as Dr. Valentine..especially on the very day of his...demise."

"What-?"

Lia walked in on time, with the CEO-someone of higher status that 'The Boss'.

The CEO nodded curtly to 'The Boss', gesturing for him to come out while saying to me "Carry on-with the REAL news, Miss Blackheart."

And so, with that, the camera turned on, and I began reporting, slipping on a mask devoid of emotions over my face and in my voice.

"Tonight in the labs of ShinRa came the death of a very influential and successfull scientist, Dr. Grimoire Valentine. He was working with an apprentice, who's decided to keep their identity a secret..."

And so on. The whole time I felt as if I would crack; fail to do my job. I kept thinking of Vincent, who was off somewhere, mourning with his siblings over the death of their only parent that was left alive...

"Vincent Valentine-his son-shall perform the final rites tomorrow before burying his father's body into his grave...May he...rest in peace..And may his family..heal. His son, the 1st class Turk Vincent Valentine, had just returned from his first holiday...Only to be met with a news as such-"

My voice cracked in the end. I looked down, a painful expression beginning to form. I was on the brinks of tears once more. My heart ached with grief for Vincent...

iOh, how he must be feeling right now..And I'm not even there with him.../i

Lia noticed and made a signal to end broadcasting. She quickly walked into the room and comforted me. I got up, wiping the tears, and forced a small grin.

"I-I'm fine. Can I leave now?"

Lia nodded. "You did well...Go on and meet Vincent. He must be waiting for you."

I packed up and left the building, driving over to Vincent's mansion as fast as I can.

No one had visited his home yet; his garage was empty on the outside as well.

I straightened my appearence and climbed the steps to the stone porch, then knocked the door lightly.

For a while, no one answered. I knocked again, this time a bit louder. The wind was beginning to blow hard outside, its coldness leaking through the silky material of my suit. I checked the time on my watch-1:23 am.

iHe's probably trying to sleep..But then again, Vincent's not the kind to sleep off his sorrow...Maybe he doesn't want to talk to anyone yet.../i

I began turning around when suddenly the doors opened. Abruptedly, I turned and looked at the answerer.

It was Vincent...

"Oh, my...Vincent..?"

Never before had I seen him like this-

His Turk suit was messed up, he didn't have his tie on. He seemed to have ran his hands through his hair many times, for his hair was slicked back-NOT his usual appearence.

And something that pained me more than ever-there were tear streaks running down from his lowered eyes...

His eyes...they reflected it all...

Never before...had I seen him cry...

"Vincent-?"

"...Come in, Sana." His voice came out hoarse and weak. I immeadietly ran up and hugged him. He hugged me back, probably trying to get rid of whatever was going on in his heart.

"I just heard tonight...It's terrible-"

"I-I never had a chance to even meet him...I wanted to apologize for being such a jerk to him when we'd last met years ago...I'd hurt him again and again with my actions and words...And now-"

"Relax Vince..Just relax...I bet he'd forgiven you a long time back, way before he sent you off to Turks Academy. I was able to call him once or twice...He was really missing you, regretful of sending you over..."

"NO-it's-it's my own fault...He'd sent me over to reprind me..I was getting too wild...I NEVER even got to meet him-"

I pulled back and looked into his eyes-for the first time not flinching at their intensity.

"Your father, Dr. Grimoire, was the nicest and most pious person in all of ShinRa..and the best father..So what if you've realised it too late, Vincent? He hadn't once ever thought bad for you...And I bet he's hearing all this right now while in Heaven..."

Vincent's face eased a little, his eyebrows slowly loosening. He was expressionless; his face went straight; uncomprehensible. Stepping away, he invited me in,

"Sorry to keep you out this whole time...I..er...needed that...thanks.."

I smiled weakly at him. "No problem, my dear Turk. Everyone needs a shoulder to cry on...Even undercover assasins like you." His lips slightly twitched up at that remark-a hint of a smile-then he went inside.

I stepped in the house, then took a seat in an armchair. The Yukis-older and younger-sat in the sofa right across. The smallest was sniffling loudly, while the other-the teenager, wiped her tears for her, squeezing her now and then in a tight hug.

The older Yuki looked up at me, her heavily-made-up eyes running mascara. I patted their heads and comforted them, triggering more sobs from the youngest Yuki.

"D-D-Did Daddy leave us..for GOOD?"

I went over to comfort the poor thing. "Shhh..No, no, your daddy will never leave your side, little one. He LOVED you guys...He's always up there; he's now an angel, and he's watching you guys."

The little one glanced to me with huge, glassy eyes. I wiped her tears, my heart breaking at her sorrow.

"Daddy's now an angel? He's still here?"

"..Yes...In the sky..and he doesn't want to see you cry like that, now, does he?"

Her lower lip quivered, but she stopped crying, wiping at her tears.

The older one looked at me too. "You're good..."

I let out a small laugh. "Yeah...She's fine now, go bring her to her room."

And so, the Yukis went off to their rooms. I remained crouching by the sofa, on the floor, taking out a tissue and silently shedding my own tears. The words of that small one had touched my heart...

Vincent walked by my side, sitting next to me. I looked at him. His eyes expressed hurt, his face was frowning, but other than that, he showed no emotion.

I held his face with my hands, pressing my lips together and nodding to him, reassuring him that the Yukis were now okay.

He took a deep breath and held my hand-an action at which I winced slightly-then he shut his eyes, shedding one last tear.

I pulled him into another embrace-surprising him with another one of my hugs-holding on as tight as I can. I felt his heart beated fast against mine.

"See Vincent, they're fine now...They'll be better tomorrow, don't worry."

"...I'm worried..about Yukinaro," he murmered, talking about the older one "...Yukinaro, it's hard for her to overcome such things..she and dad were really close together..."

"Shh..She'll be fine, Vincent. Don't worry too much..."

He pulled out of my hold, looking over to a wall somewhere to the side. "I...I overreacted...I..I'm not used to all this..it's been a while since I ever expressed...my feelings..." his voice trailed off.

"I understand..they didn't allow all this back there...It's normal to release all of it at once like this..you can't bottle them up forever..."

There was a long silence, before Vincent let out a sniff, and then got up. I got up with him, trying to look into his eyes, which he'd averted.

"So...the funeral's tomorrow..."

I squeezed his shoulder "I'll come...Just..try to hold yourself together, okay?"

He nodded, his face still unreadable. "..Okay...thanks...for everything..Sana..."

I smiled weakly. "It's fine...I'll be here.."

With that, I walked out of the mansion, pulling out of the driveway.


	8. Part 8

**Red and Purple Ribbons Part 8**

by ~fantasEteen

**CHAPTER 12**

Never did I think that after leaving him in the mansion like that, his condition would ever get worse.

It was weeks after the funeral took place. I'd constantly call Vincent's mansion, only to be answered by Yukinaro each time.

Her constant reply whenever I'd ask about Vincent: "He's in his room..He doesn't want to talk right now."

I was beginning to grow concerned.

_What could he be doing in his room all day?  
Could he be harming himself?...  
Is he still feeling guilty about Grimoire's death?_

Today, I decided to pay a long visit to his mansion. I took a whole month off from work. There wasn't much left to report on TV, especially after Grimoire passed away...

Instead his death has triggered yet another spotlight on the conspiracies of ShinRa. People are beginning to worry now: Could the rumors of human experiments be true? Even I was beginning to doubt...  
There was also this new disease widespread throughout Gaia...The cause was assumed to be due to a combination of tension exterted apon the person's mental abilities and a defficeincy in their body-causing them to experience extreme migraines, shaking, breathlessness, and dizzyness...

But that's the least of my worries.

It was early in the morning. I walked all the way to Vincent's mansion, since it was right around the corner. I had on my gray hoodie again since the chilly air around me ran goosebumps down my shoulders.

I tapped the door, lightly at first. But when no one answered, I knocked it loudly, just to be surprised as it opened on its own-

_They left the door open..._

No, for sure now, something is REALLY wrong...Vincent is NOT careless enough to leave the door open like that..

I quickly ran inside, only to find the Yukis seated on the sofa. Yukinaro was reading to the younger one, who looked up to me with bright eyes, a wide smile spreading on her boredom-riddled face.

"Sana!" The small child skipped over and glomped me, casuing me to fall back a bit.

"Heh, that's enough, little one!" I turned to Yukinaro. "Where's your brother?"

Something flashed in her eyes, and she looked away, as if to hide her shame...

_Are those TEARS in her eyes?_

"Yukinaro..You didn't answer me..?"

"...Brother..He...He's stuck up there all day, all night long...He'd only come out to buy stuff and then back up in his room. And then, he'd lock it..." She glanced up at me, and then I saw the plead for help in her eyes, as it came in her voice as well.

"Please-PLEASE..You are the only one left that can help him! He..He just don't want to forget..He WANTS to blame himself..Whatever you told him weeks ago..he ignored it and began...He began drinking.."

My eyes widened in shock, but I stayed silent so I could listen to more.

"Brother's hangovers...they're worse...I'd hear him groaning in pain each night; he'd be tossing things around-"

I didn't need to listen to any more. Without a word, I sprinted up the long staircase, trying to compose myself...My hands shaking slightly...

And then. as soon as I reached his door, I tried turning the knob, but it was locked-

_LOCKED?_

"Vincent...?...Vincent!" I began pounding the door; I didn't bother holding those tears back anymore.

"VINCENT OPEN THE GODDAMN DOOR NOW!" I sobbed. By now, I was slamming on the door so hard, my knuckes began slitting open.

A crash sounded out from inside the room, as if someone fell down. I fell silent, trying to hear for more. There was nothing but silence.

"Vincent?..."

Alarmed, I scanned around for something to break the door with, trying not to become hysterical.

My eyes spotted a huge decorative stone by the house plant. I lifted its heavy burden and then, raising it high, I constantly struck the door.  
When even that didn't budge, I backed away from it.

Then, using whatever strength I had left, I threw it, hearing the satisfying CRASHCRUNCHBAM as the impact not only left a large hole in the door, but also made it fall back.

And then, I saw Vincent-

**CHAPTER 13**

"VINCENT!" I screamed. There he was-right in front of the door, his arm extended outward as if he was about to unlock the door before he collapsed; lying face-down on the floor, his hand wrapped loosely around a broken, red wine bottle. His hands were...bloody and really pale...

Red stained the carpets-

I wasn't even sure whether they were his blood stains or spilled wine-

But that didn't matter.

Sobbing silently, I slowly shuffled over to his still body, trying to walk on shaky legs.

I bent over and, after tossing the broken bottle away, picked off all the glass. He twitched as I pulled one last piece from his bicep. Thankfully, the glass wasn't on his wrists...But I had to be sure that he was still...fine...

I lifted him up from under his arms and dragged him over to his bed. Something stabbed me in my heel but I ignored that.

And then, getting on top of the bed as well, I took a hold of his wrist and checked his pulse. It was normal, but a little slow because of his drunken state.

Apparently, he seemed to have collapsed from over-drunken-ness and lack of sleep. Dark rings were beginning to form under his eyes; his veins were visible from under his pale, almost transculent skin, making him look thinner; almost fragile.

Suddenly, Vincent sharply murmered something in his drunken slumber, startling me enough to cause me to jump slightly. I quickly glanced at him to see if he'd awakened at my movement. Thankfully, he was still asleep.

Yukinaro trudged in slowly, tiptoeing around the glass and chunks of wood.

She looked to me in shock.

"What-?"

"Sorry...I had to break it open..I'll pay for it..."

She nodded. "Ah..its fine...Yuki is asleep now..Ah, " She gestured towards the wine bottles. "What should I do with those-?"

"Throw them out. I don't want to see a SINGLE one in the house...I'll clean up the glass and wood..."

Once again, she nodded, then brought out the bagfulls of wine. I found a broom and large trash can, sweeping away the debris and cleaning out the room.  
By the time we were done, it was night. The room no longer reeked of red wine ad other alchohol.  
Before she brought out the last bag of wine, I halted her long enough to say

"I've taken a month off...From now on, I'll be staying here...My parents don't mind."

Yukinaro was silent for a moment, before reluctantly replying "Okay...Goodnight..And thanks so much, Sana..Thanks for everything.."

I gave her a tight smile and nodded. She closed the new door silently behind her, leaving Vincent and I in there, alone.

**CHAPTER 14**

After a phone call to my parents, I pulled on my pajamas in the bathroom, wrapping a silky bathrobe over my cami and shorts.

Stepping out, I sat down in the huge, velvet armchair across from Vincent, pulling it closer to the edge of the bed so I can observe and take care of him better.

It'd took me a while to clean up the wine and blood, and to band-aid his cuts. Surrounded by black and red bedding and wearing a silky black top, he looked like an ethereal prince, damned with sorrow. Yet still, despite looking so sorrowful, his complexion maintained its usual stoic face and stern frown..Which, I assumed, he obtained from the rough years doing ShinRa's dirty work for them...  
And the depression he was able to handle quite well before...

_So then, what happened?  
How did you give up on yourself, all of a sudden Vincent?  
You, the one who'd always comfort and kept me on my feet back then when we were young, is now drastically different...  
So silent...So...mysterious..._

"Why Vincent, Why?.." I whispered to him. But of course, he didn't hear me.

_Nor did he ever hear my yearning heart call out to him when I tried to tell him...Whenever I called him and failed to put feelings into words..._

He didn't realise what chaos he'd release apon me when even a small scratch would impact apon him...

..The frown didn't look quite as stern as usual though...  
It was slight on his curved lips, making them part a little.  
He'd let out a moan minute after minute through those parted lips  
The moans making me shiver to the soul...

After a while of looking at him and sitting still in the chair, my eyelids began falling heavy apon my eyes. I let out a ailent yawn, deciding that it's time for me to sleep. I pulled over a throw and an extra pillow, and then laid to the side in the huge, plushy armchair, falling into a half-sleep...

_My eyes opened and I was falling into a deep, black pit...  
The darkness swallowed me up, grabbing at my ankles and curling around my neck..  
I screamed and screamed for help until my throat began ejecting blood..  
And then-  
A red blur of light brushed by my left shoulder...  
And that very blur cut through the black ropes that had entangled me  
The darkness left,  
But Chaos remained  
Its eerie, golden eyes glaring at me.  
Surprised at its actions I took a step forward  
And touched its lined, blue cheeks-_

And recognized Vincent  
Who, at my very touch, was fading away fast in its eyes  
All his of his self disindergrating into nothingness as the Chaos began swallowing him up-

"AH-!" I gasped, sitting upright in the armchair, breathing heavily. _That was weird..._ The clock read 2a.m.  
I looked over to Vincent to see if he'd awakened at my sudden outburst.  
Thankfully, he was still fast asleep.

Though he had a look of pain apon his face, as if he was seeing a nightmare too. He seemed to be drenched in a sheen of sweat, which worried me a little..  
I reached over to him and felt his temperature, relieved that it felt normal. Then, I began stroking his hair lightly, feeling him relax under my touch...

_Unlike the dream, in which he disappeared at contact..._

Unable to sleep again, I got a glass of cold water and drank it down, placing the glass back on the nightstand. I returned to staring at Vincent, trying to keep myself awake...not wanting the nightmare to come back...

**CHAPTER 15**

Without realizing it, I'd fallen sound asleep with no dream. I woke up the very second the sun began rising above the horizon at 6am, staring into its blazing surface as it rose high above the Galian Mts.

I brushed up really quick and pulled on some comfy clothes to wear. And then, I sat silently next to the window. I assumed the Yukis weren't gonna be awake yet, so I didn't leave the room, afraid that I might awaken them.

Behind me, I heard the bed creak. I turned and saw that Vincent had awakened from his slumber, running his hands through his hair and squinting against the bright sunlight. And then, he spotted me, giving me a sleepy smile.

"Mmmhh...Hey, Sana..."  
I put my hands on my hips and frowned at him like he usually does, then, trying to humor him, I sternly reprinded him.

"Tsk Tsk Vince...I heard that you've been guzzling down all that wine..."  
He looked away, the frown returning on his face.

"..Sana, I-"  
"NO ifs ands or buts. Look Vincent-" I sighed. His eyes followed me, and remained on me as I sat down next to him, keeping a comfortable distance between us two.

"Vincent-your SISTERS-I'd call every night and wonder where the hell you were and the poor thing would say that you were at home. When I finally came over to investigate, they said that you were up here boozing off on red wine-"

"Yeah, well I have nothing better to do, Sana..." He snapped, then began speaking in a resentful tone.

"...I don't deserve better...I let my father down...It wasn't the job...He died because of my neglectance...If I'd been closer to him from the start, he would've still been here today..I should've died too-"

Shocked from his desire to die, I abruptedly grabbed him by teh shoulders and shook him hard, ignoring how bewildered he looked.

"GodDAMNit VINCENT! Its NOT your fault! Why don't you want to understand? Dr Valentine had NOTHING against you! You DON'T need to punish youself this way-"

"BUT-"

"Ohh SHUT UP!" I threw my arms up and walked away from him, trying to act impatient. The room fell silent, until Vincent asked "So..where's the wine?"

I glared at him, hurt on the inside.

_It's gonna take a while to convince this MORON.._

"NO Vincent-NO MORE WINE...You are becoming a damn alchoholic, which I NEVER expected you to be..."

I walked over and pulled Vincent up. He seemed surprised.

"Eh...What are you doing?"  
"Bringing you outta bed... then escorting you to the bathroom..It's about time you get fully cleaned up-"  
"Sana, it's okay, I can walk on my own-"  
"Yeah, well, according to what I saw last night, you didn't seem that fine.." I gasped as he tripped over something, holding his head drowsily.

"Uuurrrgghhhh hangover..."  
"That's what you get for boozing it up...NOW, let's go get you cleansed."

With that, I pulled him over to his bathroom and made him go inside, standing out as he tidied himself up.

I busily began making a list of what we should today...Calling out the options to him from the outside as he showered inside.

"..Ahh, now, we'll first make breakfast-you'll probably need to refresh what's left of you memory since you've been drowning in red wine for weeks now..."

"Riiight...I can still cook better than you..even though I've been-er-drinking a lot..."

"Whatever. Now, next on the list-"

He moaned in an irritated voice "Why don't we just stay home and relax...I have a terrible headache.."

"Nice try, my Filthy-Drunk Valentine. Now...OXYGEN! FRESH OXYGEN! They say fresh oxygen is good for clearing up migraines and hangovers-"

"Umm Sana-"

"-If not go walking, we should stay in your backyard the whole day. Oh yeah, and I'm taking you with me when we go to drop off the Yukis-"

The bathroom door suddenely opened. Out stepped a peeved-looking, dripping-wet Vincent, his waist wrapped up by a towel.

"..Oh..." I now understood why he was so admant on kicking me out of the room.  
I was literally in front of the door, my back turned to Vincent, who was standing directly behind me. I felt Vincent's breath go down my neck.  
Blushing, I moved out of the way. He raised a wary eyebrow.

"Ah...Will you leave me alone for now?"

"...Sure, erm, sure Vincent...Though DON'T be sneaking any alchohol I might've left in your room on accident.."

"As you wish..dear Mother Blackheart.."

And so I had to stand outside Vincent's room as he slowly began dressing. I had a feeling that my over-cheeryness had a LITTLE effect on easing his tension a bit, if not annoy him...

Moments later, we were in the kitchen. I kept silent as I made the breakfast, allowing him to think in peace, only asking once what he'd like to eat.

"So...Vincent, erm, what do you want to eat?"

"Huh...I dunno..toast and black coffee, I guess..?"

"Good idea...black coffee works wonders on migraines."

I brewed the coffee and toasted his toast, placing it before him on the table. Yuki Jr. came out rubbing an eye with one hand and clutching a red stuffed chocobo animal in the other. She yawned widely and mumbled her greetings to us.

"Hi Sana..Hi brother.."

Vincent looked to her with amusement, pursing his lips as she slowly clumbed up into his lap. I grinned and rubbed the top of her head, handing her a glass of berry smoothie.

"Morning precious. Your brother is not well so don't bother him TOO much today."

"Why? Does he have the fever? He was sleeping for too many days now.."

Vincent chuckled a little, then squished Yuki closer to him.

"I'm much better now...Now, go get ready for school...Me and my friend," He glanced at me "We will both go drop you and Yukinaro to your schools..Where IS Yukinaro anyways?"

Yuki giggled "She's dressing up with too much makeup...Did you know she dyed her hair red on the ends?"

Vincent frowned deeply, then muttered "When she comes out, I'll-"

I broke in "Its fine-she's only a teenager, its best to leave her alone." Vincent nodded, then everyone fell silent again.

Yukinaro came back downstairs, somewhat resembling a black and red haired Hayley Williams from the Paramore rock band with garish bright purple lipstick.

"I'm gonna walk to school." She snatched a doughnut and chomped it down as she walked out. "S'ya peoples."

I brought Yuki upstairs and dressed her. Then Yuki, Vincent, and I went into Vincent's car. Of course, I drove since Vincent was still on his hangover; he sat in the front seat where I could see him.

I looked into the rearview at Yuki, who was busying herself with doodling in a notebook. Then, I glanced over to Vincent, who was staring out of the window, a distant look in his eyes; his frown as prominent as ever. I tried to keep my attention on the road, but kept on glancing back at Vincent who, with every glance, seemed to go deeper into his thoughts.

Suddenly, I heard an angry shout from a pedestrian trying to cross the street. Vincent whipped his head around to look at me. Flustered, I pulled all my attention back on the road.

When we arrived at Yuki's elementry school, I walked out to open the door. Yuki gave me a small peck on the cheek.

"Bye brother! Bye Sana!"  
"Bye Hon! Have fun!"

Of course, Vincent didn't say anything. He was still zoning out to the side, his hand pressed against his cheek.

I sat back in and started the ignition. Vincent didn't even budge.

"Vincent..VINCENT?"  
"Hm? Yes?" He sat upright, still not meeting my eyes.  
"You sure you want to stay home all day..? It IS your Turk holiday and all-"  
"I'm better off at home...Just drive there.."  
I sighed. "Okay...I guess you need more time to relax and all."

So I turned around and headed for his mansion. Neither one of us spoke for a long while..

**Chapter 16-A FEW DAYS LATER...**

It was dinner time. The Yukis decided on going to their friends houses for a sleepover or something...  
Meanwhile Vincent and I were at home..  
Alone...together... for the whole night.

I brought the dinner upstairs to Vincent's bed. He was busy reading something in the newspaper.

"What are you reading, Vincent?"

"This? There's more news..About ShinRa..." He looked up. "The theories about their human experiments are turning out to be true. Some time ago, this guy on the road spotted an unlabeled driving out to a crematorium. When he sneaked over to investigate, he saw then burning off dead and mutiliated bodies."

My stomach sqirmed at this news. "Ugh...Wait, how come you don't know any of this yet?"

"I'm a Turk...They don't really tell us much about what goes on behind the lab doors. Just give us assignments and missions. Oh, and to inform you," He stood up and looked me in the eyeball.

"They said I have to report back again after my...vacation. I'll have to leave within a few more weeks or so."

My heart tightened, but I ignored it. Instead of speaking, I nodded and then began to turn aroud-

When I saw THAT look in his face again..

That unsure, fearful but furious at oneself type of face...  
The angsty face that he wore too often whenever he thought he was alone.

I put a hand on his shoulder, causing him to look up in surprise.

"Vincent?"

"I-It's nothing." he pushed me away and then walked over to his desk where I'd put the dinner. He pulled over another velvet chair and motioned for me to sit with him. Taking off my apron, I strode over to eat with him.

In the middle of the meal, I asked him how the food tasted.

Without looking up, he politely replied "Mmmh-It's fine, Sana...You aren't that bad of a cook."  
"Heh..glad I could..fill your stomach with something other than that junk we've been chowing on in the past few days."

His mouth twitched, but he did not say a word.

He finished off with one last bite, then wiped his mouth with a napkin.

I halted him. "Wait!"

He glanced up, a questioning look on his face. "Hm?"

I blushed "Err..well..yes..I made dessert..."

"...You didn't have to-"

"CHERRY! It's cherry pie...you like cherry, right?"

He raised an eyebrow and then, for the first time after weeks of grieving, he did a REAL smile..not the forced ones he'd do in front of the Yukis-or sometimes-even me.

It was a genuine, gorgeous 'Vincent' smile...The kind that lit your heart on fire, causing it to dance around the expanse of hollow space within your chest...The kind that make you want to drown in the arms of the beholder of the smile..

The kind that made you grin like an idiot, as I was doing at the moment.

"Er..Sana?"  
"Huh? OH-right away, cherry-boy." I winked and then quickly stumbled downstairs towards the kitchen. Then, I went to the oven and pulled out the pie, being careful to not burn myself.

I searched for forks, paper plates. Unable to find a normal knife, I finally found an antique-looking one that stood out with fancy designs curculing around it's hilt.

I walked in with the pie, setting it on top of the desk.

"Here's your cherry pie, Hon-" I gasped, quickly looking to Vincent to see if he'd caught that. Apparently, he did, for he was looking at me with a queer look on his face.

"AhHAHAHA...uh..I meant it as a joke..."

He seemed to comfort a bit, but still had that look on his face. I pulled out the fancy knife and was about to slice the pie with it when Vincent's hand whipped out, grasping my wrist. I gasped, but he seemed unaware of it. Instead, he kept on looking at the knife as if it was the only thing that mattered at the moment.

"W-What-Vincent-?"

"THIS.." He began solemnly "...This was my Father's knife.."

Once again, I did something stupid enough to affect Vincent-I reminded him about his father, when after all these days, I've been trying to make him feel better...

And now...all that has gone to waste...

"...Vincent, I-"

He continued on in a strange, dull tone that somewhat resembled a sneer, as if he was taunting himself.

"He said he'd gift this knife to me one day..It's a family heirloom...A really old knife, going back in the age of monarchy. Father was quite fond of it. Instead of using it as a kitchen knife, he'd keep it strapped to his side as a weapon...It's supposed to be the sharpest thing on Gaia..See?" He held up the blade.

Sweat began breaking out on my forehead. The room was suddenly too unbearable to stand in. I gulped as Vincent began examining the blade in a strange way, his eyes wide. He touched the tip of the blade

And slowly began tracing his finger down the blade-

"VINCENT!" I snatched the knife away from him, hiding it in the pocket of my apron. I glared at him.

"What the HELL do you think you're doi-"

He suddenly began laughing, a choked-up, sardonic, taunting sound. Then he looked up, a wild look in his eyes-

A look that can only be seen in the eyes of a Turk..

A Turk that has just escaped the jaws of death after toying around with it...

The cold, emotionless Turk that has replaced my sweet, caring, amiable Vincent...

That very look frightened me more than anything in the world. It chilled me to every bone in my body.

Vincent stopped laughing sarcastically, then sat up and motioned for me to sit. I just stood there, gawking at him with third-degree shock written all over my face.

"Well, Sana? Don't you agree...That it's the most sharpest thing of all of Gaia? Look-with a single, light trail of the finger on its tip, a great gash has appeared on it. See?" His finger was running with blood. The new scar cut through all the other older ones from the wine-bottle episode.

"Y-You've gone mad." I whispered, suffocating any strong emotion from making me shout at him.

"Hm. Not entirely. I had to show you...In ShinRa, they say that actions are more effective than words. I had to try that on you-" he paused, seeing that I was shaking all over.

"Sana?" all Turk-humor vanished from him, being replaced with the old Vincent one for the moment.

The quiet, dark, yet nice Vincent...

My lower lip quivered. I grabbed the edge of the table and pulled myself down, feeling Vincent's eyes on me.

"Sana...Did I frighten you?"

I scoffed, the shaking of my hands continuing.

"Oh NO, you didn't Vincent...You didn't just TRY to hurt yourself with a knife...NO..You didn't just try to commit suicide..NONE of that is frightning one bit.."

He sighed, then pulled me out of the chair. Then, grabbing me by the shoulders, he made me face him. I kept my gaze low.

"Sana..Look, I'm sorry, okay? This is usually a common, stupid joke Turks do back there. I've gotten used to them. I forgot that you don't have the strength to bear me hurting myself.." His voice faltered, as if he was wondering, well, WHY-

Why I was unable to bear him hurting himself...or getting hurt...

_There's ONLY one answer...And yet you fail to say it to him...TELL HIM NOW SANA-SPEAK_

I ignored that voice, that stubborn little voice within me that's always trying to go against reality.

Vincent ONLY considers me his best friend...Nothing has changed over the years...and never will

_So there's NO NEED to get your hopes high..besides, WHY do you want to ruin what's left of the friendship between you and Vincent? WHY do you want to tarnish it..lose it forever just because of your teenage infatuation with him..._

I'd managed to convince myself over the years that whatever I felt for Vincent was just a fluffy obsession to be with him...Nothing but a strong sense of 'fangirlism'...

My shaking faltered a bit as I finished calming myself on the inside.

"Vincent..No, I forgot...Its my fault..Turks like you play the game of death every time you...go out for a mission...But," I looked into his eyes, which were sincere and listening to each word I said.

"Please, don't do anything like this anymore, alright? After seeing you for so many weeks all depressed, I was afraid that-"

He shushed me, seating me back into the chair.

And then, he grabbed the knife and began cutting the pie.

"MMMhh..niice. I think...this'll be quite enjoyable." He judged, winking an eye. I rolled my own eyes and then began to get up to get myself a slice. Instead, Vincent halted me.

"Sana, let's go to the fireplace. You know...get a fire started and all...it'll be fun with the pie...just like we did in high school days."

"..Sure, I..." I picked up the plates and stuff, then headed for the fireplace room.

"You bring the pie, Vince."

He walked up with teh pie held in one hand, and the knife in the other.

And then, he slipped the knife into the back pocket of my jeans.

"I want you to keep this...It's of no use to me...I'm better off with the gun...And plus, when I'm gone.." He trailed off once more, then set the pie down on the floor next to the fire, which he started with a single push of a button.

I continued cutting up the pie, giving a slice to Vincent.

He ate it with proper equitte, despite sitting on the warm rug covering the floor-probably another Turk thing.

"This was good Sana...You beat me at baking." he commended with good humor in his voice. I nodded, glad that he actually considered my pie worth eating (to me, it tasted like SAWDUST...or maybe...yeah...I didn't like cherry. Pumpkin was my thing...)...

**CHAPTER 17**

"THIS is your large, not-to-be-missed surprise night before I leave?"

"Mmmmhmm."

"...Why did you bring me HERE of all places?"

"Mmm? Oh, no reason. I figured you needed some fun in your life..so...here we are.." I twirled my ponytail nervously as I watched Vincent assess the arcade building through narrowed eyes.

He cleared his throat, then pulled at his bowtie. I giggled.

"I DID tell you that you didn't need to dress so formally, but NO...you were so ADMANT on looking fancy-shmancy-"

"Yeah, well, you don't usually take a grown man to an ARCADE, especially in the fashion that you were asking me...I was expecting a more elegant location-"

"PPFFFT! I think you've forgotten about me." I winked at him "Elegant locations...are SO not my scene."

He smirked "Mm. True..Ah, so," he looked around nervously "How shall I fix my appearence..?"

I gwaffed at his fear of getting seen in innapropriate clothes "This ain't Turk school, Vince! You can wear whatever the heck you feel comfy in! Though, if you wanna drop that emo-butler look-"

"'Emo Butler?' Hey-what are you-?"

"Shhh! Lemme 'fix your appearence', you bimbo!" I tugged his bowtie off and tossed it away, ignorant to the fact of how intimately close we were. Apparently, the bewlidered Vincent didn't notice either. He stared me increduluosly and backed away from me, who was walking towards him with a cat's grin on my face.

Then, I began 'fixing' him, first taking off his fancy-schmancy watch and dropping it in his front pocket. Then, I untucked his shirt, starting from the back by encircling him in my arms.

"Gah-"  
"Silence. YOU asked for it Vinnie." I cackled.

After untucking his shirt, I slowly slipped off his jacket, not once moving away from him. Under me, Vincent was really warm, stupified and unreactive.

And then, I pulled off his tight belt. Behind me, a guy whistled loudly. Vincent sent a chain of swearwords at him, then urged me to finish up before things get 'too awkward'.

Finally, I pulled out the rose he'd placed in his pocket, clenching it with my teeth, and ruffled his hair.

"Mmmh..All done!"

He scowled deeply, putting his hands on his hips.

"I really doubt you were training JUST to be a new reporter.."  
"Meaning?"  
"...What you did just now was a little too extreme.."  
"Aw shut up! Your appearence just got 'fixed' and no thanks?"  
"Sana-"  
"YOU'RE WELCOME, Filthy-Frown Valentine. Now, Shall we?"

He was about to argue back, then, giving up, he shook his head and followed me in.

It was a night of fun. I did all the playing, with Vincent snickering each time I lost a game. I gave him a dirty look, and he'd put a finger on his lips, looking away.

So far, my silly antics were amusing Vincent, just as I'd wanted. Though he wasn't showing much, I could see the tiny light of happiness beggining to dawn in his eyes.

Even better, just by showing the owner his Turk license, Vincent got us more and more tickets until we claimed the biggest prize there.

In the end, we walked back out with me holding my newly-earned, ginormous Moogle beanie baby and Vincent clutching both of our slurpees.

I smiled at Vincent mischeviously, who returned the look sarcastically, making me giggle.

"You...You really ARE something, you know that?"

"Heheh yep! And you too are really something-heck you didnt play a SINGLE game there!"

"Yeah, but I helped you win that huge Moogle thing."

"Hmmm..Truuueee..I guess I AM glad that you're a Turk!"

"Huh?"

"Bahaha! That way, I can use your authority to shoplift a store!"

"Sanaaa!"

"Okay, okay!..Now...can you put the straw in my mouth?"

"What?"

"Ughhh..Feed me the slurpee!"

"Sana...Are you for real?"

"Yeah! Besides, you need training to be a bodyguard. So far, you've been a top-notch assasin and spy for the Turks but they NEVER gave you a bodyguarding job. It's time to refiiine those skills-"

"But bodyguarding doesn't involve feeding your-"

"I don't give a fishking mahezzul-"

He laughed, finally inserting the straw of my slurpee into my mouth as we walked to his car. "A WHAT?"

"A fishking mahezzul-MMMMmmm-beautiful!" I exclaimed as a bit of slurpee dribbled down my neck.

He slowed down, speaking softly. "Beautiful?"

"..Yeah...The sensation of the ice gliding down your throat..It feels, I dunno...fresh and..it makes you shiver..." I said between slurps.

He stopped, causing the straw to get pulled out of my mouth, slurpee spewing everywhere.

"NNNnnnhh! Vinnnceeent!"

He sniggered. "Sorry, but you just said that you liked the 'sensation of slurpee going down your neck' thing-"

"Is THAT why you stopped?"

"Nope...its just..." He took out a napkin and made a move for my mouth, wiping it gently. I stood very still, startled, but somehow indulging this strange gesture...

"..You have slurpee all over you...There-oh..."

He stopped at the middle of my neck, a little reluctant to move any further. I looked away, chewing on my lip. Vincent, whose cheeks were burning as red as his eyes, cleared his throat, and hesitated, as if waiting for me to do something.  
I slowly placed the large Moogle down on the road and took the napkin, my hand accidently coming in contact with his. He pulled his hand back fast and turned away. I turned too, wiping off the rest of the slurpee from my chest.

"So...shall we leave?"

"Hmm? Oh, yes...It's getting late..."

"...Thank you, Sana..."

"For what?"

"...I had a great time this evening...For the first time in years...I've felt what the words 'happy' truly are..."

"Pffft! Don't go all sentimental on me! It was...nothing...nothign more than a treat..."

He turned and smiled warmly to me.

"THAT-that's what I was aiming for...It's been years...so many years since I'd last seen that Vincent...And I finally see it on your face..."

I picked the Moogle back up and we boarded his car, driving back to his home.

-

The Yukis were still at their friends's respectable homes. My mom had left a message, asking when I was going to return home. I made a quick call saying that one more night and I'll be back. Of course, Mom agreed, but Dad was more suspicious than ever, thinking that there was something going on between Vincent and me.

_If only...That was true.._

I hung up, then turned only to find myself face-to-face with Vincent.

"Oh, were you waiting to make a call?"

"No, I was just..."

"Eavesdropping?"

His smirk gave it all away.

I ruffled his hair, then stepped away to pull my sweatshirt over my pajamas: purple shorts and a black lacy tanktop.

And then, the lights went out.

I gasped, prodding around for something to hold, running into Vincent.

"Vincent-"  
"Careful Sana-"

I tripped, and we both landed on the floor, with me on top of him.

"Ohhhh..Sorry! My fault...I'll get up now.."  
"Good idea..." He muttered.

After I rolled away from him, Vincent got up and found a flashlight. shining it in the room so I can see where I was going.

"Right now, I only have one flashlight, so we'll have to stay together...Apparently, you're far more prone to the inability to see than I am, so yeah..."

I nodded, then let out a squeal of delight as I heard the rain patter against the roof.

"Ahhh! Rain! I want to go outside!"

"Sana-you'll catch a cold!"

"I don't care! You come too-it's FUN!"

"But-"

"SILENCO!" I dragged him outside towards tha large expanse at the back of his house, then began frolicking in the rain. Vincent stood to the side, a grin of amusement forming on his face. I urged him to join me.

"Come ON Vincent! Midgar hasn't seen THIS much rain since, like, FOREVER! It won't come again!"

"You have your fun, Sana...I'll just watch-"

"Ah yes, but the problem is, Vincent Valentine-" I grabbed his hand, pulling him close.

"The problem is...This is YOUR time to have fun...YOUR night...Before you go back to that dilapidated place...And I want you to have the most fun you've ever had in your life tonight..." He stared deeply into my eyes, a questioning look on his face.

Vincent finally spoke, his voice hoarse. "Then, milady, shall we have this dance?"

I widened my eyes, and before I knew it, I was a mere puppet in his hands as he twirled me around, humming a lilting tune from one of his songs in his past boy-band endeavours. I was unable to smile, surprised by his strange willing-ness to dance. It was a strange combination of salsa and ballroom dance, something he could've only perfected at numerous Turk parties.

I was beginning to enjoy myself, singing the lyrics to his song. He grinned widely, finally joining along. Everything was going along fine-

Until, i stumbled and slipped on a puddle-

"Vincent!-"

He quickly grabbed me by the waist, pulling me close to him.

And then...we were so close...

As close as in the play we did in high school.

I held my breath, my heart racing with excitement. Vincent slowly lifted me up. Our breaths mingled, but neither of us made a move, too cautious to not frighten each other.

At last, the thunder clapped in the sky, startling both of us.

"Oh-" I got away from Vincent, standing in the entrance of the door, my back facing him.

"Forgive me...I got too carried away..and tripped-" Suddenly, I felt him slip something warm around my shoulders. It was his coat, which he was wearing over...pajama pants and red slippers...

I blushed and allowed him in. He quirked his lips, his blank as if whatever just happened...

Had no meaning to him whatsoever...

With a nod, he quickly walked back inside, leaving me to stand out in the rain.

...And then, the power came back on...

The next morning, he was gone, leaving behind nothing except a letter, asking me to call him often, and do look after the Yukis if I can...

And to _never_ forget him...

_"Yours Truly, Vincent Valentine..."_


	9. Part 9

**strongChapter 18-Back To Present../strong**

There was a sharp rapping on the door, causing me to awaken from my long daydream.

"Sana? Are you okay in there?" It was Vincent.

I glanced at the clock above the mirror, realizing that I've been standing under the icy rush of water for almost 2 hours.

"Sana?"

"Hmm? Oh, I'm fine, I just…I was just…pondering over things.."

Vincent sighed, probably out of annoyance, then continued.

"Anyways, it's midnight. I take it that you haven't eaten yet?"

"No, I haven't, but I'm not hungry-iSSSSS!/i" I clutched my abdominal wound, which was pulsing out blood like Niagara Falls.

I stared at the aching, now sore, wound in horror, dumbfounded with this new turn of events-

iPain…After all these years….That wound is beginning to give off pain..? But HOW?…This is…this is….IMPOSSIBLE!/i

"SANA-?"

"My wound….NO…It's nothing…" I reassured him, almost failing to conceal the pain from entering my words.

Apparently, he wasn't buying it. "Sana, it sounds like you're in big pain-"

"VINCENT…I'm OKAY….Just tell me where the first-aid is in here-"

"I'll hand you some heal materia-"

"NO materia had worked wonders on this wound….and never will." I hissed at him, the pains of the wound increasing with each pulse.

"..Are you su-?"

"Just tell me the igoddamn/i location of the first-aid kit-"

"Hold on-put on your clothes-the kit is in my dresser outside."

Heeding him, I quickly wiped away the cold droplets of water, soaked out the blood with my towel, and pulled on my clothes: gray hoodie, black corset, jean shorts, glovelettes, and black, spiked-heeled boots.

As I exited the bathroom, I pressed my towel firmly on my wound so my blood won't stain any other area in Vincent's apartment. I staggered into the living room where Vincent stood, his back to me.

Straightening my posture, I tried walking towards the dresser in a silent and unnoticeable manner, but failed. The pain suddenly sharpened in my abdomen, causing me to double over and exclaim loudly in agony. Vincent was already by my side as I slowly slid down to the ground, gasping for breath.

"Sana! Your wound…its…its getting worse!"

I shook my head to signal that it's nothing. But, being Vincent, he just didn't believe me.

He scooped me up in his arms and plopped me down on his bed, whose bed sheets were yet again destined to be drenched unnecessarily in my blood.

Vincent eyed me, his jaw set firmly. "Lie down and don't move. I'll get the band-aids…"

I tried to protest, but he ignored me and walked over to his dresser, pulling open a drawer and taking out the first-aid. I laid my head back and stared at the ceiling, my image blurring. I didn't need to know that yet another set of unnecessary tears were about to spill from my eyes.

Vincent walked back to the bedside and opened the kit. He told me to slowly and carefully get up a little so he can wrap the medical tape around my waist where the wounds are bleeding the most. Knowing that he won't stop worrying until I do so, I sat up slowly, ignoring the pulsing pains, and remained silent as Vincent opened the seal of the tape and encircled his arms around me, carefully wrapping the tape around and around the wound until it was tight enough to stop more bleeding.

He cut off the excess tape and placed it back into the box. Then, putting his hands on my shoulders, he pushed me back into the bed and pulled a blanket over me.

I nodded my head, silently thanking him, then suddenly began to feel drowsy. Vincent noticed and then sat into an armchair by the bedside.

"If you want to sleep, you can…it is only a few more hours until day breaks. Then, we'll be on our way to ShinRa for your interrogation."

I nodded once more. My eyelids fell heavy on my eyes, so I began to shut my eyes. I turned my face away from the ceiling and laid to the side, opening my eyes again to find Vincent gazing at me with a sorrowful look on his face. He saw that I'd caught him and grumbled in a tired voice "You still aren't asleep yet."

I twitched my lips. "Neither have you."

He tried to conceal a smile, then, giving in, smiled widely. I returned the smile, then sat up.

Vincent let out a low chuckle. "I thought you were sleepy." I pursed my lips, replying "Yeah….But I can't sleep. Not with you watching over me like that."

"Hnn. I have to. Cannot allow to escape back to whatever base you'd worked for before we found you."

"Of course, Mr. Valentine…You have to fulfill your duty as a Turk after all."

"Heh, though I'm not a Turk anymore. I prefer the title 'Ex-Turk'."

"Whatever. You don't need to worry about me escaping. I'm not going anywhere. You can sleep without worry."

He nodded, then leaned back in the chair. "I'm not much of a sleeper, but if you say so, I do need a little." With that, he shut his eyes and instantly fell into a deep sleep, as if he'd never slept so soundly before in his second life….

I smiled, then curled up into a ball, pulling the blankets over myself and falling asleep as well…

And this time, no horrible visions came in the way of my sleep.

strongCHAPTER 19../strong

Morning came very slowly. For the first time in several agonizing years suffering in ShinRa, I'd slept soundly in Vincent's bed, breathing in the deep, spicy, and mysterious aroma that wavered from Vincent's bed sheets. I didn't realize I had been hugging them tightly to my chest until I'd awakened the next morning.

I found Vincent still asleep as I stepped out of the bathroom, his head bowed over as he breathed in deeply in his sleep. I walked over to him and placed a hand on his shoulder, jolting him awake.

"Huh?"

"Relax, it's just me. I…it's morning. I think we should get going."

He nodded. "Ah yes, of course." I shook my head. "Just like your father…"

Completely ignoring that, he got up and headed to the bathroom. "I'll be with you in a moment. Just let me freshen up." I nodded, then walked towards the mini-fridge to find something to eat. When I opened it, I noticed that it was completely empty, as if its been weeks since he'd shopped for groceries. I wonder if he'd bothered eating at all…..

"Hey Vincent, is there anything to eat in here?"

"Ah, no. I didn't go grocery shopping yet so no."

"Do you stay here a lot?"

"Nowadays, I've been staying here a lot. There's no where else to go…ShinRa had demolished my mansion after…." his voice trailed off. I didn't need to know what happened afterwards…..

I realized one thing-this is the most Vincent had probably ever talked to anyone since, well, a long time….

iAll this must be a little new to him….and my sudden arrival…maybe I'm being a little too fast in accepting what's happening so far…/i

Vincent came back out, his long hair dripping wet. He pulled on his red mantle, gloves, gauntlet, and his gun-holder-thing, which he clipped onto his belt. And then, taking out a red headband, he slipped it over his head and shook his hair to adjust it a little.

I clipped on my own gun-holder and slipped the knife in its hilt, checking and adjusting the band-aids to see if they're in their proper place.

"Sana, ready to go?"

"Yes."

"Good."

"…So lead the way, then."


	10. Part 10

iWe'd arrived at the Turks headquarters within about 4 hours, first hopping from rooftop to rooftop and then a long time standing in the train since all the other seats were occupied…../i

**strongChapter 19- Awkward Train Ride/strong**

Vincent stood not too far from me, the fingers of his golden claw encircling a handle to prevent himself from falling over.

NOT that I'd suspect a guy like him would be clumsy enough to do so…

His posture was quite natural and casual despite the gothic getup which stood out strongly from the others on the train.

A girl with a black hoodie stared warily at Vincent over her thick glasses, chewing the end of her pencil while she was scribbling something in a book-a journal perhaps?

Trying not to show the smile that was beginning to stretch out on my mouth, I turned to the side and pretended to yawn. Vincent, who was zoning out, became rapt with my movement.

Suddenly, he became aware of the girl and glanced at her face. She blushed, swiftly looking down to quickly write something into her book as Vincent began walking over to her. The minute she shut her book to conceal whatever she was doing, Vincent was in front of her, his hands on his hips. I tried imagining what expression must've been on his face-annoyance? Anger?

Instead, I got my answer as I heard him chuckle, then query in an amused voice

"Don't try to hide it. I know you were drawing me."

The girl cleared her throat and smiled nervously, revealing her thick silvery braces. "Um-I…Sir, your outfit is really interesting and original. And I didn't really have anything else to draw so-" She chewed her lip, the blush strong on her porcelain skin.

"Heh, it's fine. I get that a lot…Can I see it?"

The girl widened her eyes, then nervously began flipping through her book, finally stopping at a page and handing it to Vincent, digging her hands deep into the pockets of her hoodie. Vincent nodded his head, then ihmm/i-ed in approval.

The girl fidgeted with her pencil. "Urm sir…?"

"Its very good." He handed her the book back and bent over so he could be face-to-face with the teenage girl. He held out a hand, his gauntlet one. The girl squeezed her eyes shut, then reopened them in surprise as she felt Vincent's hand upon her hooded head, ruffling her short rugged haircut.

"You are a young one, yet a perfect artist. Never stop doing this stuff."

Her small face fell; she lowered her huge brown eyes "But…My parents-"

"I know what you mean….But the truth is that even though they may seem a bit hard on you right now, the truth is that they're always with you. And one day, they'll come to appreciate what you do."

I heard the weight of his old guilt in his voice as he said that, knowing that he was remembering Grimoire. Vincent rose slowly, then began to turn when the girl tugged at his cape. Vincent turned her once more. "Hn?"

"Uhm sir, what's your name?"

"…..It's Vincent….Vincent Valentine."

The girl's mouth popped open. "Th-THE Vincent Valentine? Like, FOR REAL?"

I heard him chuckle, then walked back to his place on the train, getting a hold of his handle.

iAvalanche must be a well-known group around here…Since almost everyone knows Vincent's name around here…Surprising though that they didn't recognize him the minute he'd stepped in the train…Oh well, I guess they were the lucky ones who weren't here to see the hell that shook up this place./i I though to myself.

The train screeched to a halt at the next stop. I released my hold on the handle and began to proceed towards the exit. "It's not ours." Vincent clarified. "Oh." I stepped back as a bunch of people began pouring out of the train cabins. By the time the doors of the train closed shut once more, our cabin was completely empty. Just me and Vincent…

Vincent let out a breath, then sat back in his seat, laying his head back and shutting his eyes. I sat down across from him, trying to refrain myself from staring at his fully-exposed face which, I know by now, is always covered by his long bangs and turtleneck mantle. He looked peaceful, his long lashes fringing his eyes half-closed…His hair floating in the breeze coming through the window….

How I longed to run my hands into the midnight of those silky, ebony tresses; get lost in the fire of his eyes…

How I wanted for him to press his lips just ONCE against mine…

I snapped back to attention, feeling more disgusted than ever with myself.

iSick idiot, you RUINED his life because of your clumsiness…you KILLED his happiness and his chance at living happily with his family 33 years ago….YOU don't deserve someone as wonderful as him…Stop longing for what will never be possible..

strongJUST STOP/strong…./i

To ease myself a bit on the inside, I decided to let lose some of my voice, asking him when we're going to arrive at our station.

"Just an hour and a half…That's about five more stops." He answered, his eyes still half-closed as he looked at me.

I nodded, then forced a smile. "Still a bit sleepy, aren't we?"

He smiled faintly, then sat back up, crossing his legs. "I kinda dosed in and out of sleep last night…Sleep doesn't come quickly to me.."

"I see…I guess that's what 30 years of hell can do to you." I joked, then immediately regretted what I'd just blurted out, and was about to apologize when Vincent replied scornfully "Yeah…30 years of Hell is definitely how'd you describe it…"

"I-I'm sorry! I didn't mean to bring it up, I-"

"Hnn. No need to apologize. Those thoughts don't bother me anymore…By the way, I never asked you, but" He leaned forward so he can be face-to-face with me "How were you all these years? Did they…hurt you too much?"

I looked down at my lap and clasped my hands together. "No…just a friendly get-injected-all-over-and-placed-in-a-gigantor-test-tube thing." I lied, unable to bring the disgusting truth before him.

"I find that hard to believe, considering your wounds…"

Suddenly feeling insecure, I got up and walked over to the door leading to the next cabin. "I need to, ah, walk around a bit-" The train suddenly skidded to a stop. I lost my balance and began to fall when I felt Vincent quickly step behind me, placing his hands on my shoulders. "Careful there…You've been prone to losing your balance quickly since we reunited…"

"Yeah, well, I guess ShinRa was unable to get rid of that." I muttered, grabbing a hold of a handle. Vincent began to get back to his seat when the doors opened, bringing in a wave of new passengers. They poured into the cabin, pushing Vincent back to where he was.

I tried not to move a bit as I felt his leather leg brushing up against mine. He seemed just as uncomfortable and turned around so we were back-to-back.

Feeling relief flood over myself, I craned my neck over my shoulder to see how Vincent was faring. He was looking somewhere off to the side, a distant look in his eyes. I sighed and ignored the stiffness going up my arm as I stood longer and longer in that position.

After several more minutes of standing, my arm felt like it might fall off. The train screeched to a halt once more, the announcer droning out the name of our stop.

I nudged Vincent out of his train of thought (haha). "Vincent, we're here."

"Hmm? Oh yes." he swiftly turned around, and got bumped from behind by a man with too much luggage. "OUT OF THE WAY RED FREAK!"

"Uh-!" Vincent staggered forward towards me, putting his hands out on the wall behind me to regain his balance. I shut my eyes and held my breath, pressing myself against the wall.

The crowd inside began moving out very slowly, making every second seem like hours. I reopened my eyes and my gaze instantly got locked with Vincent's. He looked slightly taken aback, and I imagined myself the same. Feeling embarrassed, I turned my head away and lowered my gaze to look at my shoes (well, Vincent's shoes, actually..). I quickly glanced back at Vincent to see how he was faring and noticed that he hadn't averted his gaze. His face softened and while the passengers pushed past him, he began moving in closer. I quickly looked down again, clenching my fists as I restrained my inner desire to embrace him right there.

Several more minutes passed as the number of passengers decreased in the cabin, and yet, we stayed in the same position. I cleared my throat and motioned towards the door. Vincent exclaimed and moved away. "I'm…I'm sorry…Too many passengers.." He muttered, shaking his head as he exited the train. I walked out after him, keeping my head bowed….

**strongChapter 20- Interrogation at ShinRa base and Getting hit on the $$ by StrawberryHead../strong**

The interrogation went by smoothly. No one was really hard on me and took me seriously. I truthfully answered each question asked by leader of AVALANCHE, Cloud Strife, and head of Turks, Tseng, telling them everything I knew about the organization and how I was fooled by Genesis into working with him. There was only one fact I kept hidden, and that was about Vincent's teenage sister, Yuki. Sure, the news could've brought him great joy that he still had a family member alive, but he would've been devastated to know how much loyal she was to Genesis and the position he'd given her in his illicit group of REBELS…I decided to save that for later if we'll encounter her face-to-face…

Throughout the interrogation, I couldn't help but notice that the redheaded Turk, Reno, kept on ogling me. I felt scrutinized under the intense gaze of his sea blue eyes, constantly shifting my posture in my seat. After a final question about Genesis, the interrogators arose and dismissed me outside with their bodyguard Turk, Rude. I glanced nervously at Vincent, who nodded slightly in a reassuring manner before shutting the door.

After more waiting, the door finally opened, with Rufus ShinRa in the lead. He turned to me and declared "We've come to a decision: we believe whatever you say. And we won't put you under strict watch or in imprisonment."

Cloud stepped forward to finish. "We'll allow you to work with us to get rid of the REBELS, as long as you don't try to deceive us in the future. And also," he turned to Vincent "We've decided that she'll be staying under your wing throughout the battle. You'll be in charge of her, alright?"

Vincent merely nodded, his face inaudible from under his turtleneck.

"Oh yeah, and you'll also be accompanied by Reno. He needs a little work to do since he's always loitering around Midgar harassing Elena, Yuffie and the other girls…" Rufus added. Vincent rolled his eyes and sighed "Fine by me…I'm good with little children. Though, I might've lost my softness with naughty kids; it's been a while since I've babysat any-" Reno shot him a dirty look and crossed his arms "Hey, I can be pretty useful, yo."

"Whatever." Vincent dissed him and leaned against the wall, crossing his own arms.

Finally, after the others had walked out, I was left behind with Vincent and Reno by my side.

Reno flashed me a lazy smile, then took me by surprise as he smacked me on my behind with his rod.

Vincent ahem-ed with disapproval and began to say something when Reno interrupted him.

"Relax, yo! It's how us Turks welcome the sexy, new lady members!" he winked at me, then took my hand and shook it.

"Welcome to ShinRa, yo. We're gonna have pleasant times together.."

Already, I can tell that this is going to be rather unpleasant for me.

Especially when you're gonna be around a strawberry-headed pervert most of the time….


	11. Part 11

**strongChapter 21-33 years before-One Last Phonecall/strong**

i"Hello?"

"Vincent! I was getting worried! It's been weeks since you've answered my call! What's happened?"

"Not much…Nothing important anyways…"

"…..Vincent? You sound so…Did she-"

"Its not what you think! She….she said….She feels too guilty to be with me…I can't tell her how I feel…I never blamed her for anything…All I want to see is her smiling face…Oh Sana, its all so damn complicated!"

"Oh…oh Vincent, I…I'm sorry…I've called you at the wrong time, haven't I?"

"No Sana…And don't be sorry. Why apologize when you didn't even do anything?"

"Its not what I did wrong Vincent…its what I never did…I mean-well-I've been a very crappy friend. I couldn't be there with you to help you reason with her…"

"Sana, please. You've always supported me when I needed a friend the most…Stop thinking that way.."

"….Right…friend…."

"…Is there something the matter?"

"No…Its just…nothing….I've news for you though."

"Really? What is it?"

"Due to other strange things that has taken place because of a connection with ShinRa, Midgar Live decided to send me over to do an undercover coverage of what goes on in the labs of ShinRa…Pretty soon you might be seeing me walking around incognito as a lab assistant."

"Heh, well, good luck then. Though, don't include me in your operation or the head of Turks will fire me."

"Haha, don't worry Vince, I'm not supposed to be interviewing anyone anyways…though if I DO catch something fishy, I'll make sure you come out of the hands of the law spotless and unharmed."

"Yaayy…Well, goodbye Sana. And good luck. Oh yeah, and don't get caught. If a different Turk catches you…well…you know there's only one punishment we give to spies…"

"Yeah. I'll keep that in mind…Hope my arrival will help you remember that you actually have a friend. Since you've been ignoring my calls for weeks now."

"Haha…I don't need that reminder….I'll never forget you Sana…I promise." *hangs up*

"…..I promise too Vincent…."/i

**strongChapter 22-Present-SOME WEEKS LATER…/strong**

Its been weeks since I was interrogated and debriefed on what section of Midgar Vincent, Reno, and I have to clean up. We've done a nice job so far, eradicating almost all REBEL scum out there.

Reno is a pretty great fighter with his electric rod, with or without actually. His mêlée fighting skills are excellent and very useful when we're face-to-face with a large group of REBELS…though it gets pretty hard trying to convince him to get off his lazy ass and fight. These past few nights, I've noticed him slipping out and going off somewhere, coming back at the crack of dawn the next morning. I wondered where he went each night without Vincent's permission…

Reno hasn't left one stone unturned to mess around with me. Once, I was called over by Vincent for some urgent matters to discuss. Reno popped out of nowhere; jumping down from a nearby roof and nudged me, a devious smile on his face….

"Yo, Sana. Wassup?"

"I'm fine…Can you get out of my way?"

"Oh gee, SUUURE! I bet you don't want Mr. Grumpy-Face pointing his gun at your eyeball for bein' tardy."

"No, I don't."

He went silent, looking at a region lower than my face. "Hey Sana?"

I sighed. "What is it, Reno?"

"Did'ja know you have nice tittiiieees?"

"WHAT-?" I stopped in my tracks and glared at him. He snorted with laughter and stepped directly in front of me, wagging his eyebrows. "I just complimented you. I said-" He leaned forward, too close for comfort. I squeezed my eyes shut, bracing myself to use force on him if necessary.

Reno was dangerously close, for I felt his warm breath going down my neck. He grabbed my shoulders and pushed me up against the wall before I could react.

"UNH-What the HELL are you DOING, Reno-?" I struggled against his strong hold and began to scream when he clamped a hand over my mouth. I was furious.

iWhat the F*** is this idiot trying on me? I'm NOT going to spare him-I'm going to beat the crap outta him and then report him to Vincent-/i

Reno leaned forward and whispered into my ear. I smelled the intoxicating smell of vodka and a cocktail of other alcohol in his breath and knew right away that he was not in his senses. Instantly, I got my answer as to where he went those long hours during the night…

"Sana, Honey, all I said was that you…look very attractive in the bosom, yo." He pulled away to stare at me with drunken, half-closed eyes. Lifting a finger, he traced my lower lip and mumbled gleefully "Aaannnd, your lips are really drivin' me crazy right now, yo." He began moving forward again, grinning widely. I screeched and pushed him away before he had his chance, sprinting the rest of the way to Vincent's location. Behind me, I heard Reno laughing his stupid, drunken ass off. "Sonofabitch.." I said under my breath, relieved as I spotted Vincent's cabin not too far off….

Vincent, by far, hasn't said much except commands. He'd usually go off and bring back more supplies such as ammo, food, first-aid, more forces, etc etc. He's a swift gunman; doesn't even need to look directly at his opponent while getting a perfect shot through the head or chest. Sometimes, it'd be he who would finish off a whole force on his own without our assistance needed, returning back soaked all over with blood and smelling strongly of ammo; without even a single scratch on him…

Or so it seems…Since he's such an expert at hiding his pains..

Vincent, too, would sometimes sneak off into the night and be found lying askew on the couch the next morning, hair mussed up and headband lying on the floor as if he'd taken it off right before falling on the couch. On random days, he would still have his mantle on, but usually, it looks like that wherever he goes, he doesn't bother wearing it.

Sometimes, I'd find him still grasping the Cerberus tightly in his hand as if he was still fighting off his demons in his dreams..

I saw a wound on him once-blood oozing out of a split lip, looking deep and concentrated on the translucent, extremely pale skin around his lip.

I'd walked forward and wiped it away with trembling fingers, accidentally rousing him from his slumber. Stepping away, I apologized him for waking him up.

He merely lifted up the corners of his mouth as if to smile, then said it's fine.

"I needed the wake-up call…You should've waken me up earlier regarding that. Did you use a napkin or something on that?" he said, gesturing towards his split lip.

I nodded, concealing my bloodied hands behind my back. "Yep…Be careful next time…Wherever you go into the night.."

He gave me a look, then got up, taking his mantle off the hook and walking out to get some ammo for the day.

I withdrew my shaking hands and looked at the blood. "Th-This is…Vincent's blood…VINCENT, who doesn't seem to even break a sweat while we fight the REBELS…" I shook my head, angry at myself. "NO, I mustn't cry! Not NOW! I have to…I gotta do something about this…I have to find out where he goes during the night…"

I decided to follow Vincent. His long disappearances and the way I'd find him on the couch every morning was beginning to get me a bit worried about him…

Somewhere in the woods at the edge of Midgar we'd set up a small camp for our forces and us. It was about 1:45 pm when I heard Vincent's tent zip open. I looked out of mine and saw Vincent's silhouette step out. He wasn't wearing his red mantle tonight, but I saw him place his gun into its holder, fully loaded with explosive rounds and equipped with the Cerberus Relief materia…

I felt around for my own gun and blade and slipped them into my belt. Then, when Vincent was a safe distance away, I followed him silently, being sure not to make any noise. I still hadn't forgotten that he had that strange sixth sense…

We trudged further into the woods until we'd reached an abandoned, plain field. Vincent walked and stood outside in the open field, withdrawing his Cerberus, its polished triple barrels shining in the moonlight.

I stayed in the safety of the woods and drew out my own white Ceres 680-a double-barreled, double-functioning laser gun that shot out laser from one barrel and mako-infused explosive rounds from the other. (And if I was feeling happy, then I equipped some Blizzard materia and used BOTH functions of the barrels, leaving the enemy dead before they knew it.)

For several minutes, Vincent just stood out there, his eyes shut and his gun's nozzle pointed upwards. I scanned the area for a sign of what Vincent was standing out there for, seeing nothing except the long grasses at the edge of the woods swaying in the breeze. Suddenly, gunshot rang out. I returned my attention to Vincent, who flipped through the air, firing at his attacker. I saw something zoom by his left side and almost shouted out when a blade appeared out of nowhere and sliced him on his arm.

"NNAAUUUGHH!" Vincent staggered a bit, then quickly recovered himself, lifting up his gun once more and getting a perfect shot at his opponent.

My eyes widened in fright as I saw one of Genesis's special forces fall to the ground-a fiercely mutated human fully supplied by mako and blessed with the power of the Goddess Minerva. After what I've learned so far, I now figured out that Genesis misused the power of Minerva that was bestowed upon him by her.

That wasn't the only one out there, though. Vincent reloaded his gun and pulled the trigger five times at someone several yards away. I heard the thump of 6 bodies hitting the ground, their armor clanking.

Vincent raised his head and looked at the treetops, seething out the words "Whoever you are, you are the only ones left…Reveal yourselves-UNH!" something flew out and had thrown a mini shiruken. It got embedded within his shoulder blade. Not wasting any more time, Vincent pulled it out with a growl and tossed it aside, ignoring the blood rushing out of his fresh wound.

More shiruken-armed beings flew out of nowhere and began cornering Vincent. Unable to take it no more, I leaped out of my hiding spot and clipped on the Blizzard Materia on my gun. Then, taking a large flip in the air to gain distance, I rapidly pulled the trigger and eliminated the shiruken-armed forces, feeling the pulse of energy that the materia omitted into the bullets go down my arm. I reveled the feeling of the explosive materia vibrating my hand; I never had felt the need to use it during the battles I'd conducted alongside Genesis.

Landing a safe distance away from the shiruken people, I continued blasting away my Ceres, running along the way to lure them towards me so Vincent could get a chance to get himself sorted out. I checked the levels on my gun, seeing that I was almost out of materia power. Switching to normal, I continued shooting away at the opponents.

A shiruken flew by my head, scratching the top of my shoulder as it fell down. I hissed at the burning pain, but ignored it and continued shooting.

Realizing how much ammo and energy I was wasting, I withdrew the blade-Grimoire's blade that Vincent had handed to me 33 years ago-and extended it to full length, transforming it into a powered katana. I sliced at anyone who came in my way, blue mako-blood spewing this way and that. I shouted as a REBEL attemped to gorge me with his own blades. The REBEL did a 360 and kicked me backwards with their-

iGolden spike-heeled boots? NO-it can't be-YUKI?/i

Indeed, it was Yuki. I saw her eyes-like glowing embers-glaring at me with fury in their depths from under her long black robe. I tried talking to her, telling her that it was me.

"Yuki! Yukinaro Valentine! It's me-Sana-AUGH!" She ignored me, making a deep cut into the side of my arm. "T-T-Traitor! You're a TRAITOR!" she screeched at me with each swing she took. I flipped backwards and shoved her away as she came charging towards me. I looked around and spotted Zachary's silhouette-also incognito in a robe.

From the corner of my eye, I saw Yuki arise, then shout orders to the other REBELS to come and attack me. Not even seeing it coming, I suddenly fell back, hitting my spinal area hard. I groaned and tried to get up, but got met by more pain as I felt someone drag me by my feet, then taking out a large rod and bashing me all over. More of the REBELS came over and began striking me. I shouted and tried pushing them away, but felt my strength draining away fast. I saw a figure raise his rod high, ready to make one final blow. I squeezed my eyes shut, waiting for the hard blow on the head that would knock me out forever.

The familiar sound of gunshots rang out, and I felt the bodies hit the ground around me. Blinded with mako-blood in my eyes, I reached out my hand and felt Vincent's tough leather-covered hand grasp mine, pulling me upwards. I rubbed my eyes and opened them, seeing that I was face-to-face with Vincent. His hair was more messed up than ever and new splotches of blood covered him from head-to-toe.

"Heh, looks like you were busy while I was here getting my ass whupped by a bunch of Genesis's special forces." I sniggered, wiping the blood oozing out of my nose.

He shook his head at me, a disappointed look on his face. "You shouldn't have followed me…The forces I fight every night are not the ones we eradicate each morning."

"I knew you were up to something…Seeing that you're always so rugged and wounded each morning I would find you on the couch."

He smirked half heartedly. "So…You've been watching me? Especially since its I who's supposed to be in charge of YOU."

I smiled. "Worry makes you do many things…LOOK OUT-" I stepped away and shot down a REBEL who was coming at full speed towards Vincent, blades in hand.

Vincent nodded his thanks, then ordered me. "Now that you're here, I suppose you better start helping me carry out my nightly missions. You cover the ground over there while I'll take care of these bladed-ones." I nodded back and ran full speed towards the ones with the shirukens, roaring with menace as I cut through a group of shiruken-holders…

Several moments passed and my body began to feel as if it'd crash. I felt a dull pain beginning to throb in my heart-the location of the materia that empowered me. I felt a limit break coming on and tried to hold it back.

iI-I will NOT give in to my inner monster…no matter NOW MANY TIMES it'll try to barge out-/i

"AH-" I pressed a hand on my heart and leaned over, gasping for breath. My vision blurred and caused me to fall on my knees. The limit break became stronger and stronger-harder and harder to control. "NO-I don't need-I cannot become-HOJO'S- MOONSTEERRR!" I roared.

Picking up my katana once more, I sliced a nearby person's body in half, newfound energy overtaking me. I hissed and turned to face the next person who got in my way, plunging the tip through their heart along with the last few others, tossing the bodies over to the bushes. I spotted Vincent, who'd noticed me going out of control. Through the sadistic look that was beginning to invade my face, I tried sending him a pleading look-

"V…Vincent…Help me…" I uttered, clutching my heart again as the limit break began to posses me once more. With a few more men left in his area, he blasted them with bullets without glancing once in their way and rushed over to me, pulling me upwards and wiping the tears beginning to spill out of my eyes.

"Sana? Are you alright-?"

"Nggh-nnnn-the limit break-its breaking through-cannot control it-" I gasped, bending over again as the materia pounded harder than ever in my chest. Vincent looked shocked and puzzled at the same time, his eyes searching mine. "LIMIT BREAK? But that can only happen when-"

"When Hojo screwed around with this bitch. I know, REBEL." Yuki appeared from behind, pointing a gun at Vincent's head. Clenching my teeth, I arose and glowered at Yuki. "YUKI! You don't understand! Genesis fooled you and Zachary! He made us believe the side of good are the REBELS when in truth, it is US! Us, and the other forces who'd been fighting alongside us-"

"SHUT IT you double-crossing BITCH!" cried Yuki. She withdrew her gun and shot me in the shoulder, her eyes shut as tears streamed out of them. Zachary stood by her side, the same fury expressed in his icy blue eyes. "You fell for the trap of the REBELS, and now you're going against us! You turned away from Master Genesis's side of good-"

"SIDE OF GOOD EH?" I shouted. "SIDE OF GOOD, MY FOOT! He's misusing the powers Minerva had bestowed upon him so he can complete what Weiss had left incomplete! He wants to kill this planet!"

Yuki looked up at me once more, tearing off her long black disguise. "You're LYING! LYING LYING LYING LY-" She stopped as she spotted Vincent, her eyes going wide.

Vincent stepped forward, a shocked expression on his face. "Y…Yukinaro?" he whispered. Yuki remained stunned, unable to comprehend this new occurrence.

"Its me, your brother, VINCENT.."

"B-Brother?" she brushed the hair away from his face and stared into his eyes. After a while, she fell back, a new rush of tears running down her eyes. "Oh my god…its really YOU..BROTHER!" she embraced her brother, crying hard into his shoulder.

"Oh brother, I missed you so, so much! They took me away…and turned me into a FREAK! They told me you were dead but I didn't believe THEM!" she sobbed.

Vincent put a hand on her head and began stroking it. "Hush, I know Yuki, I know what you mean.."

"They did the same thing to you too, right? You AND her," she gestured towards me. I gave her a tight smile, tears beginning to fill up my own eyes. I knew she was referring to ShinRa when she meant 'them'.

"Yes, but it wasn't all of them…It was only the mad scientists, not the ones like our father…I'm here now, so don't worry...Let's take you and your friend home now, okay?"

Yuki suddenly withdrew. "But…Does that really mean we were fooled? Did Genesis really make us fight for the bad guys?"

"Yes, he did, Yuki…He fooled us all.." I said in a soft voice. Yuki wiped her tears, the sadness replaced by anger. "I cannot BELIEVE him…We'd looked up to that disgusting person as our LEADER…all along…we were helping him make the apocalypse come too soon on Gaia…"

Zachary put a hand on her shoulder, then leaned forward and kissed her lightly on the cheek. "I feel guilty too…but at least we're on the right track now Yuki…"

Vincent and I stepped away and allowed Zachary a few moments with Yuki. Vincent turned around and pressed his nose bridge with his fingers. I exhaled deeply, feeling weighed down by the limit break, which was still threatening to break through the surface.

Abruptly, I began to feel a dizzying sensation swarm through my head. I swayed a little and began falling on my knees again. Vincent saw and immediately swooped me up into his arms, a worried look in his eyes.

"Sana? What happened? The limit break-"

I moaned as a dull ache started spreading throughout my head and my incorrigible wounds. The blood began seeping out once more from my abdominal wound. Black slipped over my vision as I began falling into unconsciousness, the worried voices of the others slowly fading out.

iSana! What's wrong with her, Vincent?

Sana, SANA? Can you hear me?

Wake up….

Wake….

…...

…..awaken, my dear friend..…

I don't want to lose you too…/i


	12. Part 12

**Chapter 23**

I opened my eyes and found myself in a cot. The morning sun flooded through the dark curtains of the window. Everyone was in the room, sleeping on chairs. Vincent was the only one awake, seated in a chair on my right.

The pains were over, but I didn't even need to guess that my wound had reopened last night; new band-aids encircled my waist and the strong smell of rubbing alcohol permeated the room.

Sitting up in bed, I caught Vincent's attention. He looked my way quickly and rose from his chair. I detected a fatigue look in his eyes, but other than that, he did well to conceal how tired he really was. The red mantle was pulled over himself once more; the headband back in its place.

Vincent spoke up in a calm tone "Morning."

"Good morning….You all slept in here last night?"

"We were waiting for you to wake up. Yuffie had brought in the injection that'd keep your limit break down, so you slept more soundly last night."

I nodded in approval, then got out of bed, pulling on my gray hoodie. "How's Yuki and Zachary?"

"Them? They're doing fine…though they're worried."

I looked up at him. "Why?"

"We haven't found the smaller Yuki…No one knows her whereabouts."

That troubled me, but I tried to keep optimistic. "Little Yuki might be still alive. She's probably somewhere else in Midgar…Or maybe she'd escaped and led a normal life and moved on…"

Vincent considered this. "…I guess. But still, there'd at least be a record of her somewhere in this area. Its like after that night, no one knew where she'd gone to."

"I'm pretty sure we'll find her too. We found Yukinaro, we'll find Yuki as well" I put a hand on his shoulder "I'm pretty sure of that."

Vincent stared at me for a moment, then smiled a bit. "I'm sure too….thanks, Sana."

I returned the smile, then walked out to make breakfast for everyone, hoping I haven't lost my cooking touch that I'd finally managed to learn 33 years ago…

**Chapter 24**

I flipped a pancake, satisfied that I didn't overcook a single one. Then, placing them on a plate for each person, I handed it to them. Everyone thanked me as I served them, then began eating in silence. Reno glanced my way, trying to catch my gaze, but I ignored him, sliding the plate in front of him and then walking in to get Vincent's.

I began to place it before him when he stopped me. "I..I never eat breakfast. Its fine, I'm not hungry."

"…Just eat. You look so tired…I suggest you eat something to wake up a little, okay?" Ignoring his protest, I placed it before him and made him eat it. He looked into my eyes, then put a small forkful into his mouth, chewing quickly.

When everyone had their breakfast, I picked up the plates and went into the kitchen, washing them quickly so I can go back into the other room to hear their plot for the next battle.

Zachary explained Genesis's motives to everyone, telling them how he'll release his powered army of REBELS and raid all of Midgar and its surrounding cities. "And they're not like the ones Vincent fought every night…they're like the nightmare from hell. Genesis raised them so they'd be twice as powerful as his 'brother', Weiss." he said darkly, his steely blue eyes narrowed with hate.

Yuki was sitting at the corner of the table with Yuffie, chatting about stuff. They were ignorant of the plans as they gossiped about stuff in their teenage world. Not much interested in the plan myself, I walked over and sat next to them. "Well well, friends already?"

Yuffie grinned a cat's grin and gave Yuki a death hug. Yuki giggled and replied "TOTALLY. She's-like-really awesome! And we both like the same stuff too!" Yuffie poked her and sniggered "Yeah…I like your boyfriend too." Yuki widened her eyes and slapped the back of her head. They began chasing each other around like small kids.

_That's what they really are anyhow…innocent-minded teenagers.._

Suddenly, Reno walked over with his friend Rude. I looked away before he could have eye contact with me, then watched as Yuffie bumped into him. They both toppled over each other and fell back.

I gasped and ran forward to help, but Yuffie was already up, laughing out loud. Reno got up and brushed himself off, smirking. "My, My, I never knew I'd start my day getting run over by a sexy ninja." Yuffie blushed deeply, then punched him and ran off with Yuki. They both began giggling about something and then went off into Yuki's room.

To my dismay, Reno turned to look at me. Deciding that ignoring him would be futile, I greeted him coolly, keeping a safe distance between us.

"Good morning, Strawberry."

"And morning' to you too Sana." He smiled, a sincere look in his eyes. "Look Sana, whatever happened a few nights before…I apologize for that. I was drunked-up after the party and, well, I said and did things I shouldn't have…"

He sounded so apologetic, I smiled at him and put a hand on his shoulder. "Its fine Reno. I understand…the plight of a drunk man.." _Though in a different way_ I thought, remembering the days when Vincent had turned suicidal. My smile faltered a bit at that memory. Reno noticed and slowly put his hand on mine.

"Yo, Sana, what's wrong?"

I snapped to attention and moved my hand away. "I-Its nothing I…." I suddenly couldn't bear Reno's concern no longer, and ran off into my dorm, passing by Vincent.

His voice made me stop in my tracks. "Sana, is there something the matter?"

I craned my neck to see him. He was in the same position. He turned to face me, and I did the same. Drawing in a breath, I retained my composure and shook my head. "No...its nothing…Erm, so, what's the plan for tomorrow?"

"Not much. Lets just say we'll be doing some party-crashing up north in the mountains. Zachary told us that's where all of Genesis's forces are located."

"…Isn't that where the grotto is?" I asked, then immediately regretted it. The grotto was where SHE was…

Vincent showed no sign of sadness, however. He calmly nodded. "Yes. The crystal grotto…Where Lucrecia is…"

"…Do you feel comfortable going there? I mean...with Lucrecia's body also situated there and all.."

"Once, long ago, Lucrecia used to be my weakness. But during the war against the Tsviets, she'd taught me how to make her my strength. How to make our…relation worthwhile…"

I winced at the word 'relation', then nodded, unable to say more than "Well…sounds like a good plan…I better get going. Have to reload some ammo and stuff for my gun. Suggest you do the same." I quickly spun on my heel and walked down the hall.

Opening the door, I held on to the frame and turned my head once to look at Vincent.

To my surprise, he was looking back too, his bright red eyes visible over his mantle.


	13. Part 13

Chapter 25-Prepare for Ambush

I loaded my gun and followed behind Vincent and the others as we set out on our trek towards the Galian Mts.-right where Genesis's regime is located. It's midnight and dark all around, but my sixth sense never fails me, so I sensed that we were safe.

_For now…_

Vincent turned to face me. "You ready?" I smiled a bit and nodded. He nodded back and then silently made orders for us to split up. He, Reno, and our portion of the fighters (a mix of WRO, ShinRa, etc.) separated from Cloud's and Cid's group.

While we were walking, Yuki came up close behind me and grinned. She whispered a 'hi' to me, and I greeted her back.

"What are you doing here? Weren't you supposed to be with Cloud's group along with Yuffie?"

"Eh, I ditched them. And Yuffie's with Cid, not Cloud, remember?"

I chuckled. "I forgot…What about Zachary?"

"He's with Cloud."

"Okay…Still doesn't answer my question. What brings you here?"

She chewed her lip as if thinking of what to say. "Well…You once told me about someone you loved…" she waggled her eyebrows. I frowned and tried to hide the flush coming on my face. "I never said I was in love with anyone-"

"Oh common! But you implied it! Remember? When we were talking about why you were ignoring Genesis a lot?"

I nervously took a quick look at Vincent, hoping that he wasn't listening in to any of it. His back was turned…Heck, he was several meters ahead of us.

"YUKIIIII, LET'S GO!" I pulled her forward so we can catch up to Vincent. She let out and angry huff and, to my disappointment, tried to continue the topic. "PPFFT, try all you can, I won't drop the subject. NOW, you said that you had a crush on someone in your high school year, and it WAS NOT Genesis, correct?" I tried shushing her, but it was a bit late. Vincent was too close for comfort; he looked back a bit as if he was listening in.

I decided to answer carefully then, since its going to take a lot more for Yuki to shut up. "Well…yeah…I loved him…but I never told him.." Yuki squeed-this was like a teenage-glee moment for her. "I KNEEEWW IIT-but WHY didntcha tell him?"

I looked down, then said back silently "Because…He loved someone else…and that was far more important than my affections…". With that, I sped ahead of her, ignoring her shouts, and walked side-by-side with Vincent, keeping a good distance between us.

At first, Vincent just glanced my way once, completely silent. Then, he suddenly asked

"Who was he?"

"Huh?" I got nervous and snapped.

"Who was the one you loved?"

Unable to answer him, I kept silent for a while. But even the silence seemed too impending, so I answered back "Not WAS…IS…"

"He's still alive?…He's probably of old age by now"

"Nah…He may have lived for long, but he still looks as beautiful as he was last I saw him." I caught his gaze "Just a little changed…The years of torment have changed him…." He seemed puzzled by my response. Taking the chance, I dropped the subject right there and shook my head a bit as if it was an unnecessary topic, then asked him about the length towards the mountains.

"….I think it might take us until first thing tomorrow night."

"Okay…and how are we going to conduct the attack?"

He smirked. "We all discussed the plans last night, weren't you paying attention?" I looked down in shame, unable to stop the sheepish smile from entering my face. "I….Well, I…Um…I was thinking about stuff. I-"

He stopped me from saying anymore, then put a hand on my shoulder. "Don't be worried. We'll be successful. And we'll find out what drove Genesis into doing all this." I gave another small smile, then went on my own pace, falling behind Vincent by a few steps. And so, for the rest of the night, we trudged into the woods.

As soon as morning hit, we took a break. Reno immediately slumped up against a tree and began snoozing, not even asking for his morning cigarette. I was glad he didn't do so; the smoke suffocated me. I sat down too and began pondering over other stuff, the train of my thought leading me to question: _WHY was I recreated anyways? What was Hojo trying to create out of me?…WHAT was to be my destiny?_

The materia embedded in my heart began vibrating. I touched it, a bit startled. "Hnn…It never did this before…" Someone to my right mentioned something about the Grotto where Lucrecia resided…

_The Grotto holds a lot of power…perhaps the only reason I existed was so I can be Hojo's power machine?…No, he was insistent on something…Even mentioned the Grotto during one of my blackouts…_

I hadn't realized I'd gone too deep until Vincent tapped my shoulder. I shuddered from the cold metal of his finger coming in contact with my bare shoulder. He chuckled. "Sorry to startle you…Its time to continue on.."

"Oh yes, of course…What about Reno?" I gestured towards Reno as I stood up. Vincent took one look at him and shook his head. "It was better if Reeve had kept him…Ah well, we'll just have to carry him along. He IS a strong fighter when he's well-rested….I'll get some of the WRO to carry him. " He commanded two WRO members to carry him and we took off once more…


	14. Part 14

Chapter 26- War Orchestra

The moment has finally arrived. Night came fast and we were just a few steps away from Genesis's lair. I looked at Vincent, and so did everyone else, waiting for his signal.

His cloak flapped in the stormy midnight winds, his eyes shut as he took a deep breath, and made the signal to attack.

All Hell broke loose. We withdrew our weapons and charged forward. Reno climbed up the wall and began the assult on the inside along with his companions.

And as for I, I withdrew the dagger, extending it to a powerful onyx sword. The blood red scriptures and gems embedded into its hilt shined in the moonlight, spelling out the need to taste blood on its blade.

It made me think of only one thing: _fight._

The energy within me gathered up into my heart and killed the fears and reluctance that was evading it. I took a deep breath and charged forward, fighting off one enemy after another. Adrenaline coursed through me, and all I saw was red-

_Blood Red..._

After an hour or so, we'd penetrated almost all of the outer forces of the headquarters. I was all ready to head inside as planned, and I made it my goal to be the one to face Genesis...

I decided to give myself a few minutes to breathe, finding a spot in the shadows, away from the others. Glancing up, I spotted Vincent's swift silhouette spinning in midair.

I smirked, impressed by him single-handedly taking on a troupe of REBELs.

_All this must be a mere dance to him_, I thought.

_This battle is a musical, the war instruments letting out volatile sounds of explosions and high-pitched screeching of metal clashing against metal;_

_the ones who fought were the vocalists, giving off shouts of pain, their voices mixing together melodically;_

_in the middle of it all, Genesis is the director of this battle, the one who started the war song..._

_Vincent is the protagonist who danced like the devil, his weapon and his swift moves slaying whoever crosses his path..._

_And I, I am a lone dancer in the backdrop who is still alive.._

_Alive for one and only one reason..._

He vigorously pulling the trigger of Cerberus, blasting out a symphony of bullets to match the rhythm of clashing swords and explosive arms.

Landing on top of the roof, he looked down, surveying the damage we've done to the opposition.

While he was scanning the field, to my surprise, he caught my eye. I gave a little start, embarrased from being caught looking at him, then nodded a greeting to him. He nodded back, then backflipped in the air, going off to resume his dance.

As for I, I climbed up the wall and fell into a dark tunnel (the entrance), preparing myself for the main objective-

To get Genesis...

_*flashback*_

Chapter 27- Dr. Lucrecia Crescent and The Disease...

The first time I heard that name was during another one of those (un)sweet and short conversations I had with Vincent over the phone. It was a week since Vincent had left for his final consignment, and it turned out that he had to bodyguard a scientist named Lucrecia.

During the week after Vincent left, I'd begun to fall ill with a strange flu. The flu didn't keep me from doing work and going over to the Valentine's mansion to babysit, as I'd promised to Vincent. But day by day, it got worse, the tremours in my hands needing to be stifled with the aid of warm glovelettes. I became pale and more prone to falling over from dizzyness. At first, I'd convinced myself that I was working a bit too much-I did work morning and nightly shifts of anchoring, an evening associate at a department store, and then the rest of the day at the Valentine's, not having any time at home or to myself. After a while, the condition worsened. But I didn't care, I had to keep myself busy.

Keep my mind off of the little voice in my head that tried to ensnare me with heartbroken thoughts of Vincent.

He said her name like it was something wonderful, as if its bearer was wonderful herself. At first, they were mere acquaintences (as Vincent made it sound like in the beginning), but then it changed to close friendship.

And pretty soon, Lucrecia was his obsession. Her face was engraved within his heart. She was the only thing he ever talked about every time he called.

And then, one day, while I was babysitting the Yukis...

_Me: Hey Vince, how's your duty going? I hope Lucrecia's not a demanding employer. *chuckle*_

_Vincent: *laughing* Oh, no, its nothing like that! She's wonderful...and so lovely...always is..._

_Me: *stifles coughing fit* Right..._

_Vincent: ...I love her..._

His declaration made me drop my phone. For a second, I didn't know how to react to this. Vincent's voice sounded out from the reciever, causing me to snap back into attention. My hands twitched as I bent over to pick up the phone.

_Vincent: Hello? Sana, is everything alright?_

_Me: *forced laughter* Oh, its nothing! I dropped the phone-uh-YUKI, stop running *more forced laughter*_

_Vincent: Mmmhmmm...So, what do you think? Should I tell her?_

_Me: Uh, what?-OH-yes, I think so.._

_Vincent: Yeah...But don't you think its too early? I mean, it hasn't even been a year..._

_Me: *quietly* True..._

_Vincent: Yeah...I'll propse this to her a bit later...Maybe wait a little longer.._

_Me: That's a great idea...I agree...Well, Vincent, you better get on duty with your beloved. *chuckle*_

_Vincent: *sigh* Sanaaa...Okay, I'm going now._

_Me: *breathy* Hope you have all the happiness in the world..._

_Vincent: Thanks...Sana? Are you feeling okay? Your voice-_

_Me: I'm okay, no need to worry...I've just been a bit sick lately..Well, bye._

_Vincent: Bye. *hangs up*_

I put the reciever in its place; the twitching in my hands got worse. I went over to the kitchen and popped another rapid-acting flu medication into my mouth.

It didn't help.

I filled a glass with cool water and drank that down, then sank into a chair, pressing the sides of my forehead to stop the ice-pick migraine building up inside my head. I looked up and noticed Yukinaro standing by the doorframe. She walked over and placed a hand on my shoulder, asking what was wrong.

I gave her a weak smile. "Its nothing Yuki, I just have a weird flu."

She gave me a genuinely concerned look. "It doesn't look like only flu to me...Are you sure you don't have that weird condition they talk about in the news?"

"The condition?" News about the condition suddenly flashed across my mind.

_Constant twitching/shaking, highly-strung nerves, mood swings, nausea, dizzyness, collapsing, fatigue, pallid skin, depression..._

I shook my head and stood up. "Go to bed, Yuki...Your brother won't like it if he knew you don't sleep early.." She gave me a look, then said her goodnight and walked inside her room, shutting the lights.

As for I, I turned off all the lights and sat back, falling into a deep sleep in the dark...

The next day called for disaster. I lost control and began shaking terribly. Not like a seisure, but bad enough like a drug addict who didn't have their dose of drugs for the day. Yukinaro became frightened apon seeing my plight and ran over to my balled-up figure. I clutched my throbbing head and cried out loud.

The next minute, I was being rushed to the hospital in an ambulance.

And then, I blacked out, the last thing to come to my mind was Vincent...


	15. Part 15

Chapter 28—Flashback; Stigma

Light flooded into my eyes as I willed them to open, making them ache a bit on impact. I pulled off the oxygen mask and tried to sit up.

A pair of hands gently placed themselves on my shoulders, stopping me from sitting up any further.

"Relax, Sana….Here, I'll adjust the hospital bed." I glanced up, startled to see that he was here.

Though his face depicted no emotion, those crimson red eyes gave it all away….

His eyes were filled with the same immense and deep concern…As they always was back whenever I was hurt in the past…

I smiled weakly at him, slowly placing my hand on top of his. "What brings you here all of a sudden?"

Vincent stared intensly into my eyes, his frown becoming more profound. "'Brings me here'? Sana, Yukinaro called up and told me about how you were getting worse and worse, day by day. She's the one who told me you got lodged into the hospital."

I sighed. "So what, Vincent? You didn't have to leave your Turk Duty incomplete just because I got sick—"A hacking cough escaped my mouth before I could finish the sentence. Vincent handed me a glass of water, which I took, drinking it down quietly and placing the glass on the table besides me. "H-How long have I been in here..?"

He shook his head at me. "Stop pretending like you're not ill at all, Sana. Why didn't you tell me?" I turned my face away, overwhelmed by his concern. "Y-You didn't answer my previous question…"

Vincent was struck silent for a while, and then replied "Almost a month now…The doctors managed to save you from dying…The Stigma's still inside you, but it's not strong enough to kill you. For now..."

I realized what he was saying, or trying to say, that is...

"So I have a high risk of dying when the Stigma's level goes up again, right?"

Vincent suddenly grabbed me by the shoulders again, his eyes wide. "Sana! You're NOT going to die, okay? We WON'T let you die!"

I pushed his hands away. "It's hopeless Vincent. The stigma's not gonna leave my body until I leave it too! You've seen the reports!" He shook his head. "No Sana, don't give up hope like this….I know that you're gonna live through it and survive." He gave me a small smile. "My friend has a strong heart and I KNOW she can fight it, right?"

I stared back at him, swallowing back the emotionally-triggered tears that threatened to stream out of my eyes; his words were genuine; the concern and care that he expressed were for real….

_Oh God…No, I don't want to die yet…I cannot bear to see him upset all over again…It was enough that he'd had an emotional breakdown when his father died…But if I die, there'd be no one here to help him…._

_WELL, except Miss. LUCRECIA CRESCENT, of course…_

I pushed the final thought out of my head and nodded at him, smiling back. "I WILL fight it…For your sake…Vincent." He chuckled, then stood, ruffling my hair like how he used to back when we were teenagers.

"No need to do it for ME…Do it for yourself, because you love to have fun in life, right? And dying is NOT a great lot of fun….Especially for one with a heart as 'Black' as yours."

I waggled my eyebrows at him. "REAAALYYY? Well, then, I think the Stigma's overstayed its welcome. Thanks for the advice, my 'Fulla-Life-And-Totally-Fun-Valentine'." He made a gag-face, and then complained "How is it that every single slur you make on MY last name turns out more successfully insulting than when I do it to yours?" I giggled at him. "Because I am a Blackheart…My sense of humor's more darkly embedded into my heart's depths than yours…You're more of the Poetic-Romeo-type."

He frowned, and then sat down in an armchair, placing a hand on his chin. "Meh, I'm a Turk…Sense of humor is not part of my dress-code."

I giggled some more. "Hey, at least smile a bit! Your girlfriend that you left back there might find you more alluring. And, HECK, who knows, if you at least TRY and get closer to her, she'll be the first one to confess to you since, y'know, you're too big of a chocobo to do so yourself."

"Sanaaaa…"

"I'm so sorry, Mr. Chocobo-Valentine."

He actually smiled at that, and shook his head. Satisfied, I sat back and closed my eyes for a bit to stop the ache they were giving off. "So, are there any medications I have to take?"

Vincent nodded, then handed me a small box of pills. I took them and examined the box.

As he explained to me what the doctor told him, I took my first dose, popping it into the mouth like how I've been doing with the flu medication for weeks now.

Vincent paced as he explained the instructions. "Two per day, daily. It'll keep it in control. When ShinRa comes up with a cure for the Stigma, I'll tell you. OH, and yes, the doctor said no working 24 hours a day like you used to. If you're gonna do anchoring, only do the afternoon shift. I'll make sure they pay you a good sum for it…oh, aand what else….?"

I spoke up "AND you can go back to work now." He gave me a sharp look. "NO, Sana. You need someone to look after you—"

"I can look after myself, Vincent. And if I need help, there's always Yukinaro or one of my friends from work, or…yeah…" I grabbed his hand and clasped it, grabbing his attention as I looked into his eyes. "Please Vincent, you don't have to get so overly concerned about me! I WILL be fine! Just don't let my illness and your worries distract you from your duty…You need to be with Lucrecia right now."

"Sana, it's not like I didn't check out before I left from here—"

"But STILL—"I persisted. "Go back, don't worry about me, I'll be fine, okay? Go and do your work."

He gave me one long look, and then sighed. "Fine Sana, as you please…Though do keep on calling…And remember, don't overwork yourself, okay?"

I nodded and smiled at him. "Okay, and thanks for—"

He walked forward and placed his hand on my head, pulling me closer to him into a small, friendly embrace. My heart fluttered a bit as he did so, and I closed my eyes, feeling the smooth, clean fabric of his freshly-ironed Turk suit against my cheek.

_Thank you, for everything….._

_I will stay alive, I will feel better,_

_But just for you, Vincent…And I'll never stop_

_Loving you….._

Without realizing it, weakness had overtaken me and, as I was leaning against his heart,

I fell asleep.


End file.
